As Time Diverges: The Mitakihara Case
by NaXyld
Summary: Spoilers for both series. When time loops change small details, the key to truth is found. In a world with no Kira, L, taking what he thought was simply a string of disappearance cases, unknowingly dives into the world of Puella Magi. Character deaths.
1. Prologue

Author's note: Sorry, but this crossover was bound to happen eventually...

I do not own Death Note nor Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

As time diverges: The Mitakihara Disappearance Cases

File 0: Assembling Pieces

_Tick... tock... tick... tock..._

In a classroom in an unnamed high school, Light Yagami sat, bored. Everyday was no fun. The teacher was droning in english: "Another is the extinction of many species of life on the planet..." In front of him, two students were whispering, saying something about being ripped off at the movies. _Pathetic._

He looked out the window. Something caught the corner of his eye. A black, falling note.

As the teacher went on and on, he continued to watch the note, curiosity growing.

The next day, the Note was burned by a girl who wrote in the name of a Preschool Hostage taker out of curiosity.

XXXXX

"L," an elderly old man said to a lazily dressed male who was crouched in front of a laptop, "The Los Angeles BB killer has been arrested. Once again, the police are grateful to you."

"How many times have I said that it's not necessary?" he said as he ate a piece of cake. Looking at the laptop, he spoke again. "...Watari."

"Yes?"

"The next case... It is one I will be deciding for myself."

"You have a particular case in mind?" Watari asked, curious.

L looked at a stack of papers. On the top, one of them read "Young Female Disappearance Cases".

XXXXX

On a highway in Japan, Tomoe Mami lay dying. The car she and her family were in had crashed, and there was nothing but fire all around. Struggling to open her eyes, she saw a single creature, sitting in what seemed to be a higher position than her.

"Do you want me to save you?" the creature asked, tilting it's head to the side. It had big pink eyes and a white cute body, swishing it's tail around.

"C-can you do that?" Mami barely managed to speak.

"Of course!" the creature replied cheerfully. "All you have to do is... contract with me, and become a Puella magi!"

XXXX


	2. Student Teachers

Author's note: I am completely aware the first chapter made you all just go "Wtf...?". Well, I'll get this started properly now.

File 1:

New Teachers

_A few years later..._

"Yagami-kun," a middle aged police director spoke from his chair, "...you are to be assigned a special case."

"A special case sir?" Light Yagami, NPA member, asked, careful not to call Yagami Soichiro "Father" while on duty.

"...have you heard of the detective known as "L"?" Soichirou asked.

"...yes. He is a famous detective who solved cases that baffled international police forces. I hear he was instrumental in arresting the Los Angeles BB killer." he said, nothing but respect in his words for him.

"...good. It just so happens... L has requested your assistance on a specific case."

"L... requested me?" Light asked.

"Yes, and don't flatter yourself. He said he had interest in you since the Yotsuba Corporation scandal which you uncovered virtually alone."

"Yes, but I... I'm not sure if I..."

"He has requested your presence, and the NPA has agreed. He will meet you at this location." he handed Light a slip of paper. "He also said prepare to travel for what could be weeks."

"...what is it he is having me do?" he asked.

"I do not know... but good luck."

XXXXX

Arriving at the address, Light Yagami parked his car and entered the hotel.

"Light Yagami, I presume?"

Surprised, Light turned around, coming face to face in an elderly gentleman with small round glasses and dressed in what appeared to be a very expensive suit.

"Yes..." he said cautiously.

"I apologize for surprising you. I am Watari, L's assistant. I have been asked to escort you to his room."

"But..." Light paused. "I thought L never showed his face to anyone."

"L has taken a keen interest in you." he spoke simply. "He has stated interest that, should this investigation prove successful, that he work with you on a regular basis."

Calm, Light nodded. If this was a trick, it wouldn't make any sense in creating the grandiose lie of L, who he potentially could not have known about. Wondering what kind of man L was, Light and Watari arrived at the outside of an expensive suite. Watari knocked twice.

"Come on." came a voice from inside. Watari opened the door.

His appearance was... a shock, to say the least. But that was to be expected. No one would expect the world famous detective to be a shaggy blue haired teen who looked barely out of university. Not even Light.

"I am L. Nice to meet you, Light Yagami." L said, reaching out with his hand. "I am L."

"it is a pleasure to meet you." Light took a look around the room. There seemed to be nothing fancy about it. The only difference between this and a regular suite was the laptop on the floor, the multitudes of TVs in the room...

...and the ridiculously large amounts of _sweets_ in the room. There was one cup, for example, with twice as many sugar cubes as there were coffee. Assorted cake and pastry, laden with cream, were stacked elegantly on trays beside the Computer and massive amounts of various flavors of cake were displayed on almost all the tables; save one where a folder was placed. Curious, Light read the title, which displayed: "Young females disappearance cases."

"We will be investigating a missing persons case?"

"Several." L said as he sat down, looking over at the files.

"...the folder is rather thin for a generalization of missing girls." Light said. "...is there a specific factor you are working on?"

"I am glad to see you were able to deduce that." L said, finger on his mouth as if he was a child. "You are as bright as I have hoped. Yes, there is a certain factor." He stared at one picture. "...Fiona Arkwood." he said, staring at a picture of a young, smiling girl with medium length blond hair. "A transfer student from Britain. She went missing a few years ago."

"I remember that one." Light said. "The NPA were working with Scotland Yard to try and find her, but there was no luck."

"..." L stared at another one. "...Setsuko Mitsuki." he said, looking at a picture of an energetic 13 year old with long blue hair and a guitar. "...she was a famous child singer. There was a massive uproar in society when she was declared missing." he said.

"...L." he said. "I think I am starting to see the pattern."

"Oh?" L said, more hopeful than curious. "...please do explain, Mr. Yagami."

"...Setsuko Mitsuki." Light started. "Her file was on the NPA. Apparently, there was a massive scandal when she switched from being a singer into an actress. One of her fans went insane over what he felt was betrayal and went on a frenzy, leaving 10 dead and 15 others injured with various degrees of harm. He was arrested and convicted three years ago." He then switched to Fiona. "...this is only my deduction, and it could be wrong, but as a transfer student, she would have barely any friends. However, when the police investigated her disappearance, in the warehouse she was last seen we found the ravaged body of a girl. My guess is that they were friends, but something happened that led to her disappearance."

"...very good Light." L said, a small smile forming on his lips. "That is the exact same conclusion I had reached. And your deduction was correct. My contacts in Scotland yard had confirmed it with her relatives. However, there are two things I must mention." He said, gazing into Light's eyes.

"...The first one. Mr. Yagami..." L peered even deeper. "...do you believe in miracles?"

"What?" Light asked, surprised by the question.

"...do you?"

"Well..." Light slowly responded. "Sure, there are chances in which an unlikely event greatly benefiting an individual or a group may occur but to go and call it a miracle-"

"Fiona Arkwood was granted the wish of finding a friend." L said. "Setsuko Mitsuki initially had difficulties entering the acting industry, but one day, someone approached her with a contract. Almost like..."

"...like it was a miracle." Light said. "Surely you can't mean-"

"Second," L said. "...each habits of these girls changed dramatically between their "Miracle" and their disappearance." he told him. "Relatives and neighbours say they have been going to unexplained locations at night, even those who did not seem like the type to go out during the evening." L said. "Naturally, a deduction would connect these... "forays" with the disappearance." L said.

"And these are all the girls that fit the criteria." Light said with an understanding look, looking at the folder. He then found one girl. "L," he said, "This "Tomoe Mami"... she's not missing."

"No." he said, taking the folder back. "Tomoe Mami. Age fifteen. According to the file, a few years ago, she was the lone survivor of a massive traffic accident on a major highway. Her current behaviour also fits what others have done in the past, neighbours have been shown to worry about late night trips to undisclosed locations. And so..." L looked up at Light. "I believe you are prepared to travel?"

"Yes, but... where?"

"Grab your bags, Light." L said. "...we're going to Mitakihara."

XXXXX

"Alright class," the principle of Mitakihara school said in the second year class at Mitakihara Middle, "Today, you will have a new teacher."

In the middle row, Tomoe Mami fought back a yawn as she struggled to sit up straight. She had stayed up almost all night searching for a particular witch, but she couldn't let that be an excuse; as class representative she had a duty to set an example for the other students and show a good impression to the new teacher..

_A new teacher?_ Kyubey asked, perched upon a class shelf and swishing his tail. _What happened to the old one?_

_He retired._ She replied through thought talk. She was not worried, no one could hear thought talk, and Kyubey was not visible to the naked eye.

"Come in." The principal motioned.

The door opened and a tall, handsome man with neatly groomed orange hair and a neatly pressed suit walked in. Mami could feel and hear several of the girls immediately start gossiping.

"My name is Light Yagami." Light said to the class. "Starting from today, I will be your homeroom teacher. I hope to get to know you all.

"Tomoe," The principal said, "You are the class representative. Do make sure you help out your new teacher." he said. "Well, I need to get going. Excuse me." the principal muttered hurriedly and left.

XXXXX

Meanwhile...

"Do you like eggs easy over or hardened, Ryuuzaki-kun!" the eccentric homeroom teacher of Madoka's class asked, glaring intensely into L's eyes.

"Er... can they be eaten with sugar?" L asked, sweat drops running down his head. _Watari... did you do this on purpose?_

XXXXX

A few days ago...

_ "L", Watari said as L and Light sat on the bus, "As requested, I have made arrangements for the two of you to take positions within Mitakihara middle school. However, there is a small glitch."_

_ "A glitch?" L asked._

_ "...none of the universities I requested, nor any school administration, gave "Ryuuzaki" a teaching certificate. As a result, you will be placed as a student teacher."_

_ "But..." L tried to complain._

_ "Ryuuzaki..." Watari said with a stern tone that was not out of place at the orphanage._

_ "...I understand." L said, then reached into his bag, hoping for sweets, only to hold up a black leather object that vaguely resembled feet. "What's this?"_

_ "They are called dress shoes, L." Light said with a light grin. _

XXXXX

"Hey hey, Madoka," Sayaka whispered excitedly into Her friend's ear, "The new student teacher, don't you think he's kind of strange?"

"Huh! Uh, well... he's a little different..." she said, eyeing "Ryuuzaki Sensei"'s sloppy dress shirt and dress pants, as well as his ruffled hair.

"He looks like a child." Sayaka whispered back.

"Sayaka!" Madoka replied in a hushed tone, "You can't say that about other-"

"Please remember this, Ryuuzaki-kun!" The teacher's words broke into their conversation. "You should never be picky about what kind of eggs you eat! That goes for the rest of you boys out there as well!" she said, speaking to the class now. "If you grow up to be the kind of guy who would be picky about-"

"In other words," L interrupted, "You were dumped by your boyfriend over the kind of egg you made for him, am I correct?"

The class fell silent. No one and NO one stopped their teacher in the middle of her love rant.

"I... erm... well..." the teacher mumbled. "...we're beginning math now!" she said, trying to change the subject.

"Ryuuzaki sensei is so cool!" Sayaka whispered, eyes glittering and hands clasped. "I changed the way I look at him!"

Madoka sighed, doing her best to ignore her friend's ranting. However, through the commotion, her gaze met Homura's. She remembered the confrontation she had yesterday, in which Homura cryptically warned her to stay the way she was, whatever _that _meant.

L sighed as the teacher, still red-faced, went on to explain about complex quadratic equations. However, as he looked around the class, his eyes met that of a certain black haired girl.

_Homura Akemi..._ L recalled from the school files. _She transferred here yesterday. The file says she was just released from hospitalization for six months due to a heart disease, yet she broke the school record for the 100 meter sprint yesterday... is that coincidence?_ He pondered. _Or could that be another... "miracle"? Could she be on the same track as the missing girls?_

Gazing into the eyes of Ryuuzaki, Homura glared intensely. _Ryuuzaki sensei... what are you? You don't seem like a teacher... who are you? Why are you here?_

The two gazed into each others eyes, both confirming each others doubts.

_Akemi Homura... _L pondered.

_Ryuuzaki... _Homura glared.

_What are you?_

XXXXX

"Did you get any leads, Mr. Yagami?" L asked Light as they sat together in a cafe. It was a few days after their transfer into the profession of teaching, and although L was fine, Light was unexpectedly tired.

"None so far." Light sighed. "If I approach her too suddenly, then I would be suspicious."

"...that is true." L said. Just then the waitress came by.

"Thank you for waiting." she bowed, then started piling sweets upon sweets on the table. There were cakes, sundaes, cream, scones, ice cream; everything that a child could dream of.

"Ryuuzaki..." Light sweatdropped, holding the modest cup of coffee he had ordered, "...isn't that a bit too much?"

"My concentration rate is being affected because I am unable to gather enough sugar in my system while I teach." he said as he dug into a chocolate cake. "If I do not have enough sugar, my concentration rate dramatically drops."

"I... see..." Light sighed. He then looked out the window, towards the shopping hall. "Hey, Ryuuzaki," he said, noticing something. "...isn't that Kaname Madoka and Miki Sayaka from your class?"

L looked up from his cake. "...that is.". He said, spotting the pink and green haired girls Light was referring to. They seemed to be in a hurry, with Madoka leading the way towards...

"the upper floor is closed." Light said. "...something is up. We should go check out what's happening."

"Ugh, fine." L made an immature face. Placing a credit card on the table, he instructed the waitress: "Wrap them all for take home.", leaving the entire staff available to frantically wrap the mountain of sweets as L went out to follow Light.

Upstairs, Light was unable to see anything due to the darkness. Walking carefully, he made his way through the darkness when a shot was heard. Startled, he drew his gun just in case. He never liked using it, but just to give his father a sense of relief Light always carried a gun with him.

As he walked, suddenly the atmosphere changed. The solid, dark halls slowly became crimson red. The black concrete floor somehow grew into a checker board pattern. Various images of what appeared to be cut and paste of ominous creatures surrounded him instead of the darkness which, given the choice now, he would of preferred to stay with. "What's going on!" he asked out loud.

"I believe," L said, walking up to a startled Light, "...that we have encroached on something dangerous." he examined a paper bush. "...Yagami-kun," he said, "...we may have stumbled into something no human is supposed to touch."

XXXXX

"...14 days until the Night of Walpurgis."

XXXXX

END OF FILE 1

Author's note: Just so you know, "Fiona Arkwood" and "Setsuko Mitsuki" are short characters based off witches in another fanfic; "Homura's encyclopedia of witches" which is by Abicion. All rights and credit for the witches in there go to Abicion.

Challenge: Out of the non-canon girls so far (Setsuko Miki and Fiona Arkwood), can you match them up with the witches in Abicion's fanfic?


	3. Answer My Question

Before we begin, I would like to thank everybody who has read my fic so far. I would also like to give credit to Abicion and his/her work, "Homura's Encyclopedia of witches", for inspiration of the non-canon girls "Fiona Arkwood" and "Setsuko Mitsuki". Despite the names being original, yes they ARE from that fic!

Again, I do not own Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Nor Death Note. Nor Do I own "Homura's Encyclopedia of witches". That belongs to Abicion. Damn, I think that's the first time a disclaimer has been done for a fanfic!

File Two:

Answer My Question

"This way!" Light yelled, gun drawn and running, trying to find an exit as L ran behind him, a concentrated look on his face. "Could this be a hallucination? An elaborate trick? Or perhaps something otherworldly?"

Suddenly, Light stopped and L crashed into him. "Shh!" Light said. "...I hear something."

"Sayaka-chan," a scared voice asked, "where are we?"

"I... I don't know..."

Recognizing the two, L and Light quickly stepped out. "Kaname! Miki!" he gasped, using their last names.

"Ryu-Ryuzaki sensei! Yagami-sensei!" Madoka gasped. "Why are you here?"

"I should be asking the same for you!" Light said, completely on teacher mode. "This is a dangerous-"

"Yagami-kun," L pulled on his sleeve, "We may have other problems."

"What do you mean, Ryuzaki sensei?" Sayaka asked.

"I mean that." L said, pointing his finger at their surroundings. Out of thin air, what appeared to be round cloud-puffs with comical handlebar moustaches started approaching them. Light and L were shocked for a moment, sure that this was a hallucination.

"What-what are those things?" Madoka gasped.

"I don't know what they are, but we're running!" Light yelled, and instantly, the four of them turned tail and ran, sprinting towards the exit. However, no matter how much they ran, it seemed the exit was not getting any closer.

"What's going on!" Sayaka screamed in frustration.

"...I don't know how, but it appears something beyond the laws of science is applying here." he said as he saw the puffballs surround them. "Yagami-kun, try shooting it with your gun."

"You don't need to ask me twice." he said as he took out his gun, ignoring the fact that Sayaka and Madoka were there and shot a hole through each of the puffballs. While the hit puffballs did vanish, more came to take their place. Light, doing his best to keep his cool, kept firing until his gun ran out. "that's it. We need to run."

"Please don't do that." L said carelessly. "We've already proven there's no point in doing so. We should wait and see."

"What!" Madoka asked, scared, but then something wiggled in her arms.

The reason she and Sayaka had run up to the restricted area was because Madoka heard a cry. A cry for help. Someone had called her for help, and she ran. When she arrived, she found a little creature on the floor, hurt and wounded. Unable to ignore its plight, Madoka had picked it up when she and Sayaka wound up in the little distortion of time and space, where they ran into the two "teachers".

_Don't worry._ The little creature said, still perched in Madoka's arms. _She will be here soon._

"She?" Madoka asked out loud. L gave her a queer look before "She" arrived.

"Are you all alright?" a gentle voice asked, startling the group. Turning around, Light, L, Sayaka and Madoka all saw Tomoe Mami, calmly walking towards them with a smile on her face and a glowing object in her palm.

"Tomoe-san," Light said, "What are you doing here! It's dangerous!"

"Please, don't worry, Yagami-sensei." She said, still calm. "I have everything under control. I can take you out of this place, but first..." she looked around. "I have some cleanup to do."

"Er, what?" L said, still unaffected by the bizarre situation they were in. Tomoe simply smiled and held her glowing object to her chest, and a white light enveloped her.

When the light subsided, Mami's outfit was changed. Instead of the school uniform, she had an outfit that seemed to be heavily influenced by British designs. She had on a feathered cap and a frilly hunters outfit with yellow, brown and white designs. What caught the attention of Light and L the most, however, was the ornate silver musket she held in her hand. Light moved to intervene, but L held him back. "That may not be wise. I have a feeling she knows more than us."

"...I think so too." Light agreed, deciding it was best to just watch.

Mami leaped into the air, and to the astonishment of Light, Madoka and Sayaka, magically summoned at least several hundred ornate muskets, each aimed straight ahead, pointed at the advancing "moustached Pringles." Pulling the trigger, the hammer behind the musket held by Mami hit the gem. Instantly, all the muskets fired, piercing every one of the pringle monsters.

"...Ryuuzaki..." Light said, turning to L in astonishment. "...I think this case has taken a turn for-" he stopped, realizing L looked semi-bored. "Tomoe-san," he said, "That's overkill. Three quarters of your shots missed." he said. "it's effective, but a waste of ammunition."

Light shook his head, trying desperately to convince himself this was a dream, but then felt a big, ominous presence from the back of this little irregular dimension. A shadow like... creature, for lack of a better term, rose up, slowly crawling towards them. Trembling, Madoka and Sayaka hid behind either L or Light, who watched the object while making sure to protect the girls. However, they had a feeling that would not be necessary. Mami had made all her little muskets disappear, and in replacement called forth a huge one.

_How is she able to hold that up, float and take aim at the same time!_ Light said, still desperately trying to find a nice, logical, scientific explanation for all of this.

"Tiro... Finale!" Mami yelled, firing her large... musket was no longer quite the right term. The weapon fired off a large beam of light, completely piercing the black object. With a shriek, the black monster vanished, along with the peculiar checker board dimension. To Light and L's astonishment, they were still in the fourth floor of the mall. Mami, smiling, shifted back into her school uniform. "I'm sure all four of you have questions. How would you like to come to my apartment? I will explain everything."

The four stood in silence, except for L, who asked: "Is there cake?"

"Er... if you want." she said.

"Yagami-kun," he said, "We're going to her apartment." he said.

XXXXX

"Alright," Light sat as he, L, Sayaka, Madoka and Mami were seated around a triangular table in Mami's apartment. L was already eating cake, half of his second piece gone. "First things first. Tomoe-san, what was that?"

"It is hard to explain." she said. "The world you were in is called a labyrinth. It is where a witch lives."

"A witch?" Madoka asked.

"Yes. Witches are evil creatures that taint humans. They hide in labyrinths and most people who wander into one never come out."

L, all of a sudden, raised his hand like a child in school. "Question, Tomoe-san."

"Er, yes?"

"...how are these witches made?"

"...I am not sure." Mami admitted. "But... they are magical creatures."

"Er, what!" Light asked. L stopped eating, spoon frozen halfway up to his mouth.

"Magic. And so are those like myself who fight them. We wield powers as Puella Magi to fight-"

Just then, there was a scream. "ARGH... AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" L screamed as if he was in pain and toppled over his chair. Instantly, Light reached over. "Ryuuzaki! Are you okay!"

"...M...magic?" L gasped as he struggled to get up. "...are you asking me to believe in magic?"

"...I'm afraid so, Ryuuzaki sensei." Mami said.

"...another question." he said, going back to normal. "...what is that creature sitting in Madoka's lap?"

Silence.

"er, what do you mean?" Light asked, looking over to Madoka. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

"I am pointing to that." he said, pointing to what Light saw as Madoka's empty arms. As he did, however, Kyubey tilted his head. _Hmm? You can see me?_

"Am I not supposed to be able to?" L asked. Light, however, was unable to comprehend who he was talking to. However, he deduced L was not insane. From the way he saw Madoka hold her hands like she was holding something, he guessed, that -scientific impossibility aside, but the day's events had shattered his idea of science- there really was something L could see but he could not.

_This is strange._ Kyubey said. _Normally, only those I choose can see me. But oh, since you can see me, you can think what you say. I can communicate using telepathy._

L, however, continued talking out loud, mainly for Light's benefit. "Is this another effect of "magic"? Or is it something else?"

_This would classify as magic._ Kyubey said, still smiling.

"...what are you up to?" L asked out loud. "Do you have something to gain by turning girls into... Puella Magi?"

Before Kyubey could answer, Mami turned to him. "Please, Mr. Ryuzaki, Kyubey just saved my life a few years back, and in return gave me the power to protect people."

"Protect people... from monsters like that?" L asked, with Light simply trying to follow the conversation.

"Yes." she said. "if you are not convinced, then how about this? Tomorrow, after school, why don't you all come with me as I go witch hunting? That way, you can see what it's like to be a Puella Magi."

"I don't like the idea of-" Light began, but L cut him off. "That sounds great."

"Ryuuzaki!" Light scolded. "What are you thinking? Despite being a Puella Magi or whatever, she's still a civilian! And a child!"

"A queer comment." Mami said to Light, still smiling. "I noticed that you called me a civilian. Does that mean that you are not?"

"Er..."

"And come to think of it," Madoka said, finger on her chin, "Isn't it kind of strange how a teacher can use a gun so well? And how you both stayed calm in that situation? A regular person would naturally panic, right?" L could not see Kyubey's expression change, but he was sure that behind that angelic smile, the creature was smirking.

"Very well." L said before Light could counter. "You are all right. Yagami-kun and I are not teachers. We are undercover police." he told them, blowing Light's cover but not his. "We are investigating a drug smuggling ring, and we were in your area." he lied.

"So that's why you could shoot so well!" Sayaka said to Light, who simply nodded. Kyubey, meanwhile, looked up.

"Do you have any information that could be useful to police?" L asked, peering into each one of them, Madoka slightly recoiling.

"Stop that." Light said to Ryuuzaki. Turning to the girls, he said "Well... It has been an interesting day. I don't think it would be wise to discuss what happened with anyone else. Oh yes, if you reveal the fact L and I are police agents, please note that you will all be subject to prosecution."

"Prose...what?" Madoka asked, confused.

"He means the law is going to be after you." Mami explained. "Please don't worry, Yagami-sensei, we will not tell... of course, provided that you keep our secret as well."

"Bet on it." L said, finishing off his cake. As he stood to leave, he turned back and asked one more question. "Kaname-san, Miki-san, can you two answer one last question for me?" he asked. "...why were you two in the restricted area?"

"That's..." Madoka looked down. Suddenly, Kyubey jumped out of her lap. _They were looking __for me. _He said.

"For you?" L asked, Light trying to follow the conversation again.

_I was attacked in the area, and Madoka and Sayaka came to save me. _

"Who attacked you?" L asked. Madoka jumped in. "Er, it was a witch!"

"Please don't take me for a fool, Kaname-san." L said. "...As the creator of Puella Magi, I have every reason to believe that this little creature can stand up on it's own against Witches. And if it was a witch, it would have called Tomoe-san to save it. I have every reason to believe... a Puella Magi attacked you."

Hearing that, Madoka gulped.

XXXXX

A few hours ago...

_Help me..._

Hearing a voice call for her help, Madoka ran up the stairs. Ignoring the shouts of Sayaka, she crawled under the rope that clearly stated "No Access" and ran into the dark corridor.

"Hello?" she cried. "Is someone there?"

Making her way through the darkness, she stopped when she felt something near her. Looking down, she saw a little white creature on the floor, which promptly jumped into her lap. Madoka gasped. She had seen this creature before. It had come to her in a dream, offering her the power to overturn despair and darkness. However, until then, she thought it was just that, a dream.

Hearing footsteps in front of her, she looked up and saw Akemi Homura coming towards her. But something was different. She was wearing some dark uniform, with an intricate shield like object on her arm. In her hand was a gun, and she was coming towards them.

"Homura... chan?" Madoka stuttered. Silently, Homura continued coming.

Suddenly, there was a burst of smoke and foam, and Homura and Madoka lost sight of each other. Surprised, Madoka looked behind her.

"Madoka! This way!" Sayaka yelled. She had been the one who caused the diversion, using a fire extinguisher. Holding the little creature, Madoka ran.

XXXXX

"I have a suspect already... Akemi Homura." he watched their reactions and knew he was right. He knew that the record breaking sprint was not natural.

"How did you know?" Madoka asked.

"...she was hospitalized for six months, yet on her first day at school she broke the record for the 100 m dash." L pointed out. "That's not natural. However, now that we have the convenient explanation of "magic", we can see how she managed that."

"As a, er, a Puella Magi," Light continued for L, "Akemi would no doubt have qualms against killing in front of others. No doubt she didn't want to kill in front of you two. So the question remains..."

"Why did she want to kill Kyubey?" L finished.

XXXXX

L was amused at how normal everything ended up the next day. Back on the teaching "job", he sat beside the teacher's desk as he watched the teacher explain logarithms.. To his mild surprise, Kyubey had followed Sayaka and Madoka to school. _What is he up to?_ He wondered. He overheard Madoka whispering, asking Sayaka if Homura might attack them in school. Then, to his shock, he heard voices in his head.

_Don't worry about it._ Kyubey's voice resounded. _There's always Mami-chan here. And You two can talk using telepathy. It will help. Trust me._

Still trying to get used to the thought of foreign thoughts in his head, he heard Sayaka's voice. _Telepathy? Cool! But... how do we tell Tomoe-san?_

_ Don't worry._ Mami's voice resounded. _Even if I am far away, I can still here your thoughts. I can come over there anytime._

_ That's assuring._ Madoka sighed. Just then, L, getting annoyed with the invading thoughts, made his own telepathic statement. _Will everyone please stop using mind talk? It's getting annoying, and Kaname-san, Miki-san, you're supposed to be focusing in logarithms._

Looking over, L saw Madoka and Sayaka blush in embarrassment as they returned their gaze to the board. Sighing, he went back to munching on the leftover cake from yesterday, ignoring the odd stare from students. Occasionally looking up from his cake, his gaze met that of Homura's. They would stare at each other, or in Homura's case, glare, and then turn away from each other.

L mused as he observed Homura answer some questions on the board, effortlessly answering question after question as the rest of the class looked on in amazement. He thought back to the reports he saw on her file. She had not been a particularly brilliant student before her hospitalization, earning just above average scores.

_She must have been studying hard in the hospital,_ _or used magic to affect her mind._ L concluded as he went back to his cake, buried in thoughts and trying to wrap his head around magic.

XXXXX

After the school day, Light, L, Madoka and Sayaka were walking around town, following Mami as she held up her soul gem, as they learned the glowing object was called. Light didn't like the idea of the girls going witch hunting, especially Madoka and Sayaka. L, however, refused to back him up and Light gave up, following them and making sure to keep an eye out for any dangers.

"Is there a particular way to find witches?" Madoka asked.

"Yes." Mami explained, holding up her soul gem. "This lets me detect dark energy around here and leads me to an opening into their labyrinths. From there, I can force open an entrance and take care of the witch."

"Why are normal people still able to enter labyrinths if magical energy is needed?" Sayaka asked, but Light answered that question. "No doubt it is because witches prey on people. By luring people into labyrinths, witches devour them and consume what we call "negative energy", am I right?"

"That is correct, Yagami-sensei." Mami said as she kept walking. Kyubey jumped out of Mami's arms and perched itself on her shoulder. _You two sure found out a lot about the magical world. Normally people would be too scared to even try to approach it again. _It commented to L.

"...Tomoe-san," L said, "I understand why Yagami-kun and I are here, but why did you bring along Kaname-chan and Miki-chan as well?"

_I offered to help them become Puella Magi, then Mami insisted on letting them see what it was like to be one before they agreed. _

"Is there are particular reason why you offered them to become Puella Magi?" L asked, Light piecing together the conversation.

_Oh yes. I sense quite a lot of magical energy from them. Especially Madoka. These two have the potential to become the greatest Puella Magi ever. _Upon hearing that, L fell silent.

"...Kyubey," Light said, trying not to feel awkward about talking to something he couldn't see, "...I have a question. When you turn girls into Puella Magi... do they get something in exchange?" He then looked over to L, hoping he would answer. After a short while, L turned to Light. "Yagami-kun," he said gravely, "it appears the loose ends are starting to tie themselves."

"what do you mean?"

"...Kyubey has told me that when a girl is turned into a Puella Magi... a single wish is granted."

Suddenly, to the two detectives, everything made sense. The truth behind the "miracles" was blown wide open. It was clear to them that the missing girls had all been Puella Magi.

"The only question remains," Light said,

"...where are they now?" L finished.

"Um, Sensei, what are you talking about?" Madoka asked. Light turned to her. "nothing." he assured. "Don't worry about it."

"We're here." Mami said suddenly, stopping the group in front of a large warehouse. It looked relatively empty. "There's a witch here?" Sayaka asked, taking out a baseball bat and swinging it around to test a few times. L and Light saw the building and, for some reason, felt it was strangely familiar, as if they saw it before. However, they couldn't quite put their finger on it. _Where have I seen this warehouse before..._ Both detectives tried to remember.

"Please be careful with that thing." L said. Just then, Light yelled. "Up there!" he pointed at the roof of the warehouse.

Near the edge, staring into the sky with a melancholic expression on her face, a young woman stood, arms outstretched. Even from down there, Light and L could see that something was wrong. "She's going to jump!" Madoka gasped.

"...just as I suspected. A witch is nearby. The woman has a witch's kiss on her."

"A witch's kiss?" Sayaka asked.

"...most likely a term used when a witch is manipulating someone in order to get them to die." L muttered duly. "This is getting cliche to the point where it's not amusing anymore."

"We have bigger problems than that!" Light pointed out. "We have to help her!"

"Already on it." Mami said. "Yagami-sensei, Ryuzaki-sensei, please take care of her and stop her from jumping. I will take care of the witch."

"But-" Light tried to protest, but L cut him off. "That sounds like a viable course of action. Yagami-kun, please go to the roof. I will stay here in case she falls." Begrudgingly, Light nodded and ran up the stairs.

"We should get going too." Mami said to Sayaka and Madoka, and a bright light enveloped her, covering her transformation into a mahou shoujo. Using her soul gem, she opened what literally appeared to be a hole in the air. On the other side seemed to be a winding stairway leading into unknown depths. "We'll be going now." She said to L as the three girls went in.

"Do take care." L muttered, turning his attention to the roof.

Meanwhile, Light had managed to reach the roof just as the woman was about to jump. "Stop!" he yelled. Startled, the woman turned just in time for Light to grab her.

"Let go of me!" she shrieked. "Let me die!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, ma'am!" Light said as he wrestled to keep her on the roof.

"Let... me... GO!" she screamed, biting him on the hand. Yelling in pain, Light let go of the woman, who promptly leaped off the roof. Hurried, Light looked over the roof, and sighed in relief. L had caught her, and she was passed out. As fast as he could, he went down the stairs while trying to ignore his bleeding hand.

"You should have that looked at, Yagami-kun." L pointed to his bleeding hand.

"I'll take care of it later." Light said. "First, we have other matters to pertain to." he looked in the direction of the hole Mami had left. "Let's go." Wordlessly, L followed, slouched and hands in pocket.

The labyrinth this time was rather different from the one they experienced yesterday. Instead of a thorny garden with a checker board floor, the maze this time looked like it was based on fire. Trying to withstand the heat, Light and L ran as fast as possible through the paths carved through the fire. "Strange." L mused. "Normally, I would guess this labyrinth would incinerate us instantaneously."

"I think that the witch's 'magic' is being diverted because she is fighting." Light theorized as he ran, eventually arriving in front of a door. The sounds of a fight could be heard from behind the door. "This is it." Light said, opening the door.

They seemed to be in a great chamber, with what appeared to be an inferno shaped like a phoenix in the centre. Around the creature, various pixies made of fire were dancing around, some of them jumping and trying to hit Mami, who was twirling around and shooting, each hit killing a pixie. On the side, Madoka and Sayaka were watching, worried.

"Kaname! Miki!" Light yelled, running over to them. "Are you two alright!"

"Yagami-sensei!" Madoka exclaimed. "Everything is fine... I think. Your hand!" she gasped, pointing at his hand. Meanwhile, L, peering at the inferno, saw a pattern that seemed to be made of blue fire. _Some kind of ancient text? Or inverted English letters?_ He peered closely. _F... O...R...T... N... no, that's a U...that's a N... A... Fortuna?_ He gazed at the inferno. _Is that it's name?_

"What, this?" Light looked at the wound, addressing Madoka's concern but also looking at the pattern. "It's nothing. I'll just have a doctor look at it later. I'll tell them a dog bit me-"

"Do excuse me, Yagami-kun," L tugged on his shirt, "But I think the battle is nearly over."

Mami had magically summoned what appeared to be golden strings, tying the pixies to their master creature. Once the creatures were trapped, Mami leaped into the air and summoned her large weapon.

"Tiro... Finale!" she yelled, piercing the inferno. With a shriek, the creature and her minions disappeared, and the hot world of flame vanished, replaced with the inside of the warehouse. Mami simply landed gracefully,

"Wow... so cool!" Sayaka said, hands clasped and eyes twinkling. L and Light, however, both stayed silent. _Something is wrong... _L mused.

_Even though the witch has been defeated, I get the feeling... _Light muttered.

_Something is terribly wrong. _

Meanwhile, Mami went to the centre of the warehouse and picked up a dark looking object. It seemed to be shaped like a soul gem, except it's contents were pitch black. "What in the world is that, Tomoe-san?" Light asked.

"This is a Grief Seed." Mami explained. "Witches drop this item, and we Puella Magi use this to restore our soul gems." she held her soul gem next to the grief seed for demonstration, and the soul gem was enveloped in light. When it was over, the soul gem seemed to shine more brightly. She then tossed the grief seed into the shadows, much to Madoka and Light's surprise.

"I'll give that to you." Mami called out. "It should be usable one more time."

Out of the shadows, Homura appeared, glaring intensely at the five of them Clutched in her right hand was the grief seed.

"Akemi-san," Light said, "Why are you here?"

"I could ask the same thing for you, _sensei_." She said. She glared at the four civilians. "Kaname Madoka... Miki Sayaka... I will warn you two now. Do not become a Puella Magi if you value those dear to you. Also, Yagami Light... Ryuuzaki Sensei... this is your last warning. Stay away from this world. It is not something for common humans."

"You have no right to threaten them in that tone, Akemi-san." Mami said, the smile still on her face. "It is completely Kaname-chan's and Miki-chan's choice if they wish to become Puella Magi like us." Without using the grief seed, Homura turned to leave.  
>"Please wait a moment, Akemi-san." L said. Stopping, Homura turned and glared exclusively at the blue haired teacherdetective.

"Please answer one question." L said, finger on lip. "...why did you attack Kyubey?"

"...I keep my reasons private." She said.

"Please wait." L said. "...what is it about you that gives off a different vibe than other Puella Magis? What happened to you? What do you know? Who are you?"

Homura looked as if she was considering something, then turned and spoke directly to L. "If you want to know, then answer this question: Where are the girls you seek?"

Her words pierced L and Light's heart. _She... she knows about the investigation! _Light realized. _That's impossible! How in the-_

Calming down, L stared back at Homura. "...Very well. I accept your challenge. I will find the answer and get you to answer my questions."

Not even bothering to retort, Homura turned and disappeared.

XXXXX

"Ma'am," Mami gently shook the woman who lay on the ground. "Ma'am, please, wake up."

Slowly, the woman woke up. "Where... am I...?" she asked groggily. Then, memories of trying to jump to her death returned. Her eyes widened in shock. "I... I..." hands trembling, she began to cry, Mami comforting her as Madoka and Sayaka watched. "Please, ma'am, you're safe now."

"...Madoka," Sayaka said.

"What?"

"I've made up my mind... I want to be able to help people like this... I want to become a Puella Magi just like Tomoe-san." she decided. "How about you?"

"Eh! Me? Well... um... I haven't decided yet..."

Meanwhile, the two detectives also watched.

"What do you think, Yagami-kun?" L asked as he watched the

"...something is definitely going on." Light answered. "I don't know why, but I have an ominous feeling there is more to this case then what we've seen."

"I agree." L said, staring at nothing in particular. "...what does Akemi-san mean when she asked 'where are the girls we seek'? Does that mean she knows where they are? Is she related with their disappearance? Or is it..." he looked at Kyubey. "Is there something far more terrible we have yet to discover?"

XXXXX

"13 Days until Walpurgis Night"

XXXXX

Author's Note

Argh... I completely messed it up, I think... I know a LOT of you are going to be disappointed in the fact Light and L discovered Puella Magi so fast... but I ran through 13 different possibilities and this was the one I came up with... don't worry, if you're disappointed that this will be a cut and paste... I'll just say, hang on to your hats, because the real action starts soon...

P.S. Episode 10 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica specifically proves Witches and Familiars can be slain with human weapons. Therefore, Light can, to some degree, kill the pringle monsters.


	4. A Fraction of a Second

Author's Note: On to the next chapter... and I'm sorry, but this one will be rather short.

Chapter 3

A Fraction of a Second

XXXXX

That evening...

"Yagami-kun," L said as he opened the door to a hospital lobby, "How is your hand?"

"It's fine, L." he said, holding up his bandaged right hand where the woman had bit him. "I told you, you didn't need to drag me into a hospital for-"

"I don't like working with people who are injured. They are more likely to be a liability than a help if they can't function at full capacity." L said, tearing apart any notion that he was actually worried about Light.

"Ah..." Light said, a sweatdrop on his head. "I see." Just then, they heard someone behind them. Turning, Light and L saw someone familiar. She had blue hair, wore the uniform for Mitakihara Middle. "Miki-san," Light asked the girl, "Why are you here?"

"Erm," Sayaka said as she faced the two teachers, "I'm... visiting a friend."

"A friend?" Light asked, "I see... well, I don't want to keep you waiting." Sayaka bowed politely in respect and ran off into the wards.

"Excuse me," one of the nurses tapped L on the shoulder, "Do you know her?"

"Yes, I am her homeroom teacher." L replied. "Has she been doing something wrong?"

"Oh, no no no!" The nurse insisted. "She is a very good girl. She always comes here, looking after Kamijou-kun."

"Kamijou-kun?" L asked.

"Well... I guess it's okay to tell you, since you're her teacher. She visits a boy named Kamijou Kyousuke. He used to be a prodigy at playing the violin, but in an accident, he lost the use of his hands."

"I... see..." L nodded. "For a violin player to lose his hands... that must be a painful experience." "That's why she's there... supporting him the entire way." The nurse said before looking at the clock and gasping. "I'm afraid I have to leave now."

"Thank you for your time." Light bowed as they parted ways with the Nurse. L silently thought about the circumstances as he walked with a piece of cake in his hand.

XXXXX

"Tiro... Finale!"

Another burst of golden light. Another last shriek. Another victory. L sighed as the barrier dissolved, leaving himself, Light, Madoka, Sayaka and an untransformed Mami in the middle of a quiet street.

"Another familiar." She sighed. "Oh well. If we left it alone for too long, it may have evolved into a full grown witch."

"So is that how witches are created?" Madoka asked curiously.

"I would guess so," Mami said. In that moment, L caught it. She was uncertain. She wasn't sure. However, he decided not to grasp at the opportunity. She was probably tired for tonight. He looked at Light and was satisfied he had reached the same conclusion.

As they walked, however, another point was brought up. "Um... Tomoe-san?" Madoka asked. "Um... what was your wish?"

"Hm?" Mami turned around with a smile. "What brought this on all of a sudden?"

"Well... it's just... um... well, you never really told us..." she said nervously.

"Don't worry about it, Kaname-san." she said gently. "I don't mind. Let's see... my wish...

It was several years ago. My family and I were caught in a horrible traffic accident. If Kyubey hadn't offered me a contract, I would have..."

L did not say anything. He knew all this already. Of course, he could not tell Mami that. Not without her never looking at him in the eye again.

"So, you didn't even get to make a real wish?" Sayaka asked.

"No, it was an on-the-spot decision." she replied. "That's why I think that others should be given time to carefully consider what it would be like to be a Puella Magi before they make a contract."

"So that's why you let Kaname and Miki follow you around." Light sighed. "If it wasn't such a serious situation, it would almost be like one of those job shadowing programs in high school."

The rest of the walk was in relative silence, broken only to say goodbye for each to go home.

XXXXX

"Could it really be as simple as that?" L mused. He sat in a hotel room, cuddled up on the chair, thumb in mouth and eyes staring at case files strewn all around him. Something didn't add up. In his mind, he knew it. 'If witches were responsible for creating negative emotions... and if they were spawned through familiars...'

Then that was impossible. The ratio didn't add up. Even if there was one mahou shoujo per town, such as here, then at the rate Mami was going, the witches should have been exterminated.

So why are they still there? Could it be?

L thought through many possibilities. Seeing Mami fight, he noticed she had not bothered to finish off remaining familiars after the witch was beaten... the only logical explanation would be that the familiars would scatter... but no, he had seen the fact that they disappear with their master's demise... so that meant there could only be another source of witches.

But what was it?

XXXXX

April 3 (Sunday)

"Well, Mr. Yagami. So far your hand seems to be almost completely healed," the doctor explained. Light had gone to the hospital once again, as part of the doctor's instructions. "Now, my only advice is to not to engage in any stressful activity for the hand. Especially something that requires moving it so suddenly. Some of the nerve systems were damaged from the bite, after all. So that means don't play instruments, don't do contact sport.."

On and on the list went, until the doctor finished at "and don't engage in shooting, especially. Gun recoil is the worst thing that can happen to your hand at this stage." The doctor and Light got up from their seats. "Thank you very much, doctor." Light shook his hand and left.

As he was about to walk out the lobby, a familiar voice caught up to him. "Yagami-sensei!" Turning around, he saw Sayaka coming towards him. "Miki! Are you visiting Kamijou today too?"

"Yep." she nodded. "The doctor is about to do an operation, so I was wishing him luck."

"I see." Light nodded as they walked out of the hospital together. L greeted them as they walked out, having waited outside to avoid the nurses berating him constantly for eating the excessive amounts of cake. "Yagami-san... Miki-san... and Kyubey..."

"What?" Light had no idea Kyubey had been with Sayaka, due to the fact the little creature was invisible to him.

After a while, the three-four of them, including Kyubey- walked the streets of Mitakihara. Their trip was in relative silence, until Light decided to try and make small talk. "So, Miki, did you think of a wish you might want granted?"

"Umm..." She muttered. "I don't know... but I might want to do something for Kamijou-kun."

Light nodded and closed his eyes as he walked. Finally, he opened his eyes again. "Miki," he said.

"Y-yes?" Sayaka looked up, startled.

"I want to ask you one thing." Light said. "Do you want to save him because you truly wish the best for him... or do you want to wish for him to create a sense of debt against him?"

His words may have been particularly harsh, for even the socially deprived L stopped him. "Yagami-san, that question is-"

"It's... fine." Sayaka stopped him. "But..."

"A wish is not something to be taken lightly." Light warned, "Especially under these circumstances."

Just then, Kyubey's ears perked up. "Everyone! There's trouble!"

L and Sayaka looked up, startling Light with their sudden change. "What's going on?"

"I sense a grief seed!" Kyubey urged. It leaped off Sayaka's shoulder and began running. "This way!"

"I think you'll understand if you see it, Yagami-kun." L said as he ran, leaving Light to just catch up.

"Hey, Kyubey," L asked as he ran, "This direction... aren't we heading back to the hospital?"

"That's where I sense the presence from." The white creature explained as it ran. Eventually, Kyubey lead them to the rear, near the staff entrances. Embedded on the wall was what appeared to be a black gem.

"I was right." Kyubey said. "There is a grief seed here. If we leave it alone, it might evolve into a full grown witch."

"Th-then... is there something we can do?" Sayaka asked.

"Well, we can't leave it alone." Light argued. "Here's what we'll do. I'll go in there and try to keep it in check. L, Sayaka, you two stay here and call Tomoe."

"That's inadvisable." L countered. "You need someone to understand what Kyubey is saying-"

"I'll... I'll go." Sayaka said.

"Then it's decided." L said before Light could argue against it. "Yagami-san, please take Sayaka and Kyubey with you and go to the centre. I'll wait for Mami-san here."

Light nodded, and in a flash of light the three of them disappeared, leaving L alone. "Was that really the right thing to do?"

A few minutes passed. Then fifteen. Finally, 20 minutes after the call, Mami and Madoka arrived. They had apparently been running. "So is that it?" Mami asked, looking at the grief seed.

"Yes." L nodded. "Well, shall we get going?"

Mami nodded. Holding her soul gem close, a light enveloped her and she transformed into her Mahou Shoujo form.

"Let's go." she said and the three of them entered the labyrinth.

The contents of this maze... amused L for some reason. As they passed by an object floating around, L turned his head to keep his gaze at the said object.

Or, to be more specific, a piece of cake floating in midair.

"Tomoe-san," L asked, "Are objects in labyrinths edible?"

"I wouldn't try if I were you, Ryuzaki-_sensei_." an extra voice replied, the last word dripping with contempt and sarcasm. The three turned to see Akemi Homura, standing in her black themed Mahou shoujo costume, complete with the shield on her arm.

"Akemi-san..." L muttered, "Nice to see you here."

Homura ignored L's comment. "Tomoe Mami. I will warn you here. The witch up ahead is no ordinary witch. I will take care of it."

"Oh really, Akemi-san?" Mami asked, the smile still on her face. "What is it that makes you think that? And unfortunately, I have to greet Kyubey, Miki-san and Yagami-sensei up there."

At that, Homura stayed silent while Madoka watched the confrontation nervously. Taking the chance, yellow ropes leaped up from the ground and tied around Homura, trapping her. In the middle, a magical lock formed.

"Idiot..." she said while struggling. "This isn't the time for-"

"Be a good girl and we might come back for you." Mami smiled. "Come," she beckoned to L and Madoka, "Let us go."

"But..." Madoka hesitated for a moment before leaving. L quietly followed.

After a few minutes in the labyrinth, L, Madoka, and Mami managed to enter a quiet hallway. It appeared to be a grayish room filled with floating jars with small treats inside. L stared longingly at them.

"Um, Mami-san?" Madoka asked nervously, breaking the silence as well as L's fixation on the surrounding treats.

"Yes?" she asked, continuing to walk.

"I've... thought about the wish I might want to make..." she said hesitantly.

"And? Are you almost ready to decide?"

"Yes, but... you might be angry at what it is." she confessed.

"So what kind of wish do you want granted?" L asked, entering the conversation.

"Well... I've never had anything I could say I was good at... or something that people respected me for. I thought I would just stay like this and just pull everyone back, but when I met you, you showed me how to fight to save people, and that I could do the same thing... Those were the happiest words I heard."

L contemplated this silently as he walked. He glanced at Mami. She seemed far less cheerful.

"That's why, I feel like I could have my wish granted simply by being a Mahou shoujo. To be able to help people and to be able to be proud of that... I feel like that could be my dream..."

There was a moment of silence, and then Mami answered: "It's won't be easy. You can get hurt, and you won't even have time to have fun or date a guy."

"But to try so hard even under these conditions... you're someone I aspire to be!" Madoka said. Then Mami stopped.

"I'm not someone you should aspire to be." she said.

"Eh?"

"Forcing myself to pretend everything's fine, and even if I'm afraid or having a hard time, I don't have anyone to confide in... All I can do is cry alone. There's nothing good about being a Mahou shoujo."

L closed his eyes and spoke. "That is wrong, Tomoe Mami."

"What?" she asked, still looking forward.

"Ryuzaki-sensei is right." Madoka said, smiling. "Mami-san... you're not alone anymore."

"Yes." L nodded. "You have Kaname-san and Miki-san with you. And I am sure Yagami-sensei and I will be with you." the blue haired detective nodded.

"...Yes... You are right."

Mami turned around. To even L's surprise, she no longer had the confident face. Instead, her face was that of a trembling person, the face of someone who had been suffering silently for a long time. She clasped their hands together.

"Will you... Will you really fight alongside me?" she asked, almost pleading. "Will you stay by my side?"

"...Of course." L and Madoka nodded.

"...I really am no good." Mami said, smiling yet crying at the same time. "I'm supposed to be your senior for some time to come, but... I guess I just can't live up to it."

"Mami-san..." Madoka said, glad she was in high spirits again.

"But you know," Mami said, "Opportunities like this don't come often. You should think about your wish."

"Well... I guess." Madoka agreed.

"A contract is still a contract. You need to know how to benefit from it." Mami continued. "You could be a millionaire, or get a nice boyfriend, or get Ryuzaki-sensei to show us a genuine smile. Anything you want."

"Objections to the last example." L said, raising his hand like a child. There was a silence, and the two girls burst in chuckles. "Well," Madoka still seemed unsure.

"Then how about this?" Mami offered something. "If you can't think of a wish by the time I beat the witch, then you will wish for a cake."

"C-cake!" Madoka asked, surprised.

"Yep! The biggest and most luxurious cake you can imagine. And then we'll party with everyone to commemorate us forming a Mahou shoujo duo!"

"I-I'm supposed to become a Mahou shoujo for a cake!" Madoka tried to reason.

"I second the motion." L said, raising his hand like an eager child.

"If you don't like it, then think of something by the time I'm done!" Mami called as she continued walking. L noticed she walked with a lot more energy now.

Suddenly, everything started to change. "Mami!" Kyubey's voice resounded in their head through thought speak. "The grief seed has started moving! Hurry!"

"On it!" Mami ran onward. Suddenly, a giant cake rose in their path, with lines and lines of walking candy marching up and down the rows of frosting.

"Sorry," Mami declared, "But I'm going to finish you all off quickly!"

"Eh!" Madoka seemed surprised. Before answering, Mami leaped towards the cake while L fought his urges to give in to his sugar addiction. Calling forth her ornate muskets, Mami proceeded to lay waste on the walking candy, using "gun-fu" that Jackie Chan would shame himself for. L noticed that her fighting had gotten better by a lot, most likely from that moral boost.

After a few battles-or what L described as "familiar massacres"- The trio opened the final door.

"Yagami-kun! Miki-san!" L ran towards the two figures – three including Kyubey.

"You got here right in time, Ryuzaki." Light commented, loading his service pistol. "According to Kyubey, this thing is about to hatch." Upon hearing that, everyone looked up.

The darkness in the centre split open through several grotesque images, until finally what appeared to be a pink and white plushie with a red scarf plopped onto the centre, on a high chair in front of a table. Runes in sprinkles displayed her name.

"C...H...A...R...L...E...no, O...T...T...E..." L muttered, unsure of why he was able to read the runes. "...Charlotte."

Suddenly, the chair toppled, sending the witch flying. "Sorry to interrupt your good day," Mami said, "But I'm going to finish you off quickly!" calling another rifle, she swung it and hit the witch like a baseball, causing it to crash onto the wall of a cake.

"Must... not... give in to cravings..." L muttered nonchalantly.

"Ryuzaki-sensei..." Sayaka sighed, shaking her head.

Mami walked over to the fallen witch. Shooting it once through the head, she called upon her strings, which placed it high in the air, ready to be finished off.

"She did it!" Madoka cheered.

Mami smiled and called upon her large rifle; the Mahou shoujo equivalent of Wing Zero's buster rifle from Gundam W.

"Tiro... Finale!" She yelled, and as usual, the light pierced the witch.

Madoka and Sayaka watched in admiration. However, L's eyes noticed something. The red scarf began to wrap around Charlotte... it's mouth opened to reveal a malicious creature... it was headed towards Mami...

"Eh?"

That was the only sound she was able to make out before the new form of Charlotte was right in front of her, jaws open...

Having seen the same thing as L, Light took out his service pistol. "RYUZAKI!"

"On it!" Ryuzaki ran towards Mami, who was too shocked to move. 'No...She can't die like this...'

Light grit his teeth, took aim, and-

-a twang of pain hit his hand, right from where the woman bit him-

-and fired. The bullet flew, deadly and fast-

-right beside the witch and plunged into the wall, unable to claim a victim-

and a horrible crunch was heard as the witch swallowed Mami's head and dragged her body up into the air.

"That... can't be..." Sayaka gasped. Madoka was too shocked to even speak, her hand covering her mouth.

There was a final sound of a bite and Mami's headless body, now back to its schoolgirl state, fell, only to be intercepted by Charlotte and devoured.

"TOMOE!" Light yelled. Inside, he blamed himself. He shouldn't have missed. He shouldn't have missed. He shouldn't have missed... L, meanwhile, only looked at Charlotte.

Kyubey, meanwhile, seemed to panic. "Madoka! Sayaka! Choose your wish! Quickly!"

"There is no need to." a cold voice said from behind them. From the entrance, Homura, now released, leaped and landed on a high table, facing Charlotte. "I'll be the one to kill this witch."

Charlotte opened its jaws and leaped at Homura. For a moment, it seemed like she had met the same fate as Mami. However, she suddenly appeared in front of the witch, very much alive. Confused, the witch leaped again, only to achieve the same result. This process was created over several times...

Until the witch stopped. It shook and there was an explosion. Opening its mouth, a smaller version escaped as it's body exploded-

-only for that one to explode too, forcing it's escapees to grow smaller and smaller-

until the last miniscule one was engulfed in flames. As it exploded, Homura landed and began walking towards Madoka and Sayaka, ignoring the two adult males.

"You two barely escaped death." she said. It wasn't comfort. It was hammering in a fact. Facing reality.

"Remember what you saw here." she spoke coldly. There was a clunk, and the grief seed fell, shattering a teacup, much like the one Mami had used. "This is what happens to those who become Mahou Shoujo." she glared. Tears began to fall from Sayaka and Madoka as the labyrinth dissolved and the grief seed fell into Homura's hand. L and Light could not find anything to say. Homura, grief seed in hand was about to leave, when Sayaka spoke up.

"Give it back."

Not fazed at all, Homura faced the blue haired girl.

"Give... give it back! That belongs to Mami-san! I'm telling you to give it back!" she yelled.

"Yes." Homura glared at her, showing no pity. "This belongs to Mahou shoujo. You have no right to touch it."

With those words, she left, leaving four stricken souls. L looked up at the sky.

Denial. Regret. Grief.

He should have been faster.

He should have stopped her from fighting.

Those thoughts and many more swirled as he tried to instill Mami's death into him.

XXXXX

"28 Days until Walpurgis Night"

XXXXX

Author's note; I'm sorry it's so short. Anyways, first things first.

First...

MAMIIIIIIIIIIII! !

*Cries in a corner*

Second of all- if you're wondering about the sudden change in the countdown... well, like I said in the author's note, I misread some of the timeline. This is the correct one. I will edit the other chapters later.

Third: Don't worry-L will begin his work next chapter.

Fourth… Reviews are greatly appreciated. Hate my story? Say that too.


	5. Those left behind

Chapter 5: Those left behind

April 4th

Light could not believe how _normal_ everything was. The next day at school, no one seemed to act any different. Even though Tomoe Mami was dead.

He tried to calm himself. Even he did not understand why her death hit him so hard. He was a cop. He witnessed tragic deaths before; those he failed to save. And each time he failed, he would resolve himself to do better next time.

Except this time, he felt helpless. He was a human. A human male. Caught in a world where only young girls could do the fighting.

"Um, Yagami-sensei?" one of the students interrupted his thoughts. "Class is beginning."

Remembering he was supposed to be a teacher here, he calmed himself and started teaching a class on exponents and logarithms.

XXXXX

L could only sit and watch as the day went by. As a student teacher, he had far less to do than Light in terms of school work. However, his mind was much more occupied than the previous days. Two main things were on his mind.

One was the death of Tomoe Mami.

The other one was Yagami Light's reaction to the whole affair.

XXXXX

_Flashback to April 3__rd__ (evening), after Mami's death._

_ L and Light sat silently in their hotel room. They had been naïve. They had fallen into an emotional trap. They had ignored reality and allowed themselves to think that maybe, just maybe, that justice would always win, just like… just like…_

_ Just like in shows. In stories._

_ In worlds real people should only dream of going._

_ There was an awkward silence, and then Light spoke. "We can't leave it like this." He looked up. "We should contact my father. The Government. Tell them what's going on-"_

_ "Yagami-kun," L reasoned, "Do you really believe that the government would believe such a story? Look at ourselves. Even we had doubts about the whole matter and-"_

_ "We should still at least try!" Light argued. "It's pathetic! Girls like Tomoe fight and die while the rest of the world don't know anything! We could at least try and get them to help! Get them to mobilize the JSDF or something! It's just-"_

_ "It's just not right?" L finished for him. "Yagami-kun, I know how you feel. However, we must remain calm."_

_ Light took a breath. He hated to admit it, but L was right. Regular authorities would probably do nothing. They couldn't do anything. If they started moving against magic on the one in a million chance they believed L, then the general public would be in an uproar…_

_ But he still felt helpless. Even if he knew that was the right course of action._

_ That right course of action should never leave someone feeling helpless. Yet, this time, it did._

XXXXX

It took much out of Light's soul to manage a smile as he shook the doctor's hand for the last time. Today was the final check up, and his hand was technically "cured". On his way to the stairs, however, he spotted a familiar figure.

"Miki?" he called.

The figure gave a startled cry and faced him. "Yagami-sensei!"

"…What were you doing here?" Light asked.

"…I just came from the roof. I was… talking to Kyubey."

"He is here?" Light asked. It still frustrated him he was the only one unable to see the white creature.

On Sayaka's shoulder, Kyubey gestured to Sayaka. "Sayaka-chan, use your new soul gem. If he touches it, he should be able to see me."

Nodding to something Light could not comprehend, Sayaka took something out of her pocket.

A soul gem. It shone light blue.

"M-Miki!" Light was the one shocked this time. "Wh-why!"

Not saying anything, she gently tapped the soul gem on Light's arm.

Where there had been empty space a moment ago in Light's eyes, there now stood a cute white creature. It had long white ears and simply stared at Light. "Yagami Light," the creature said while swishing it's tail, "I believe this is the first time you have seen me. I am the one known as Kyubey."

Light had a mixture of feelings for this creature. "Kyubey, I will be blunt. I do not disapprove of the fact you are working to get rid of witches. However… surely there must be a better method to fight them? I mean, if you could contact the human government, then I am sure that-"

"I'm sorry, but the human government is incapable of fighting the witches." Kyubey swished its tail. "Not everyone has the magical energy required."

"…" Light decided to change to topic. "Miki, your contract…"

"…I was told last night. The operation on Kyosuke failed. Therefore… I… had no other option…"

Light was stunned. Failed? From what he heard, it should have been a simple procedure-

"The doctor is being questioned for incompetence. It was just too cruel…" Sayaka tried to explain. "So-so I-"

"What if you end up like… what if…" Light could not bring himself to say it.

"…That's fine." She said, showing resolve again. "I will carry on Mami's will. I will protect this city."

"That's a good thing." Kyubey tilted it's head. "If you hadn't contracted, this city may have been overrun."

"But…" Light still wanted to argue, but then Kyubey perked up. "We have to go! I sense a witch!"

The two turned to leave, but Light followed. "Hold up. I'm coming with you two." He said, making sure his pistol was in its concealed holster before running.

XXXXX

Meanwhile…

"Ryu-Ryuzaki-Sensei?" Madoka gasped in surprise as she approached the place which used to be Tomoe Mami's apartment.

"…Good afternoon, Kaname-san." L replied, not bothering to turn to face her. Instead, he kept his eyes glued on the door. "…If you are here for what I think you are, then let us go in." he said. He tested the door. He was right. In her rush to get to the witch, Tomoe Mami had left the door unlocked the day she died.

Stepping inside, her apartment seemed the same as it ever were. Books were on the table. The sink was filled with dishes and teacups needing to be washed. Nothing showed that Tomoe Mami had considered the fact that she would die.

Returning his mind to the present, L watched as Madoka placed a notebook on the triangular table that they had all eaten together around only a few days back. Even to someone like L, who had been dealing with the dead for so long, those few days seemed like an eternity.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Madoka's crying voice filled the room. "…I'm sorry for being so weak…"

There was only silence after that, only occupied with Madoka's sobs.

XXXXX

A few minutes later, when they exited the apartment building, they encountered a strange figure.

Akemi Homura, to be precise.

"H-Homura… chan?" Madoka asked, then tried to wipe off some of her tears. Just then, the said girl slowly approached them.

"You're putting too much blame on yourself, Kaname Madoka." She said. "…That goes for you too, Ryuzaki-sensei. There was nothing a human could have done in that situation, no, in the world in Puella magi. It is beyond your understanding."

L stayed silent, while Madoka remained nervous.

"It seems you followed my warning." Homura said to Madoka.

"…Yes…" was the quiet acknowledgement she could make.

L wondered if it coincidence, but the three of them seemed to be headed in the same direction for several minutes.

"…Maybe if I had listened to you earlier…" Madoka said as they walked.

"That wouldn't have changed the fate of Tomoe Mami." Homura said with a tone of finality. "However, you were able to change your own fate. I'm happy to be able to save even one person."

Madoka let the words sink in, then asked: "How many people have you seen die like that?"

There was a slight pause, then Homura answered: "Too many to count."

L winced. Too many to count. Deny it as he might, he could not escape the fact he was the same. He had seen too many people die to count. And all he could do was to watch from the shadows. Even the one who controlled the world police from the shadows had his weaknesses and limitations.

"In any case," Homura turned to L. "In case you haven't figured it out, my challenge is still open."

L looked up. The challenge. He felt he was just one more clue away from it. "May I ask for a hint, Akemi-san?"

"…Go ahead." The cold girl gave the matter a few moments of thought before replying.

"…Are there any more magical things in this world other the Mahou Shoujo, Kyubey, and the witches?"

"…No. Those are all." She replied.

L nodded. The puzzles fell in place. "Thank you. I have found my answer. Kaname-san," L said, "Can I talk to Akemi-san for a moment? I will be right back."

Glaring, Homura and L went to a secluded area to talk.

XXXXX

A few minutes later, L, back with Madoka, walked around the central area of the town. Even in the middle of spring, there were preparations for some sort of festival. There were lights set up and speakers on long poles. "Ryuzaki-sensei," Madoka asked, "What did you mean when you were talking to Homura-chan earlier?"

"…I discovered something about their world not even the Mahou Shoujo themselves may know." L replied. However, he was jittery. After the whole ordeal with Charlotte; he could not bear to eat cake. That was bad news. He needed sugar to function.

Just then, something clicked and the speakers turned on, confusing everyone in the area including L and Madoka. To add to their confusion, more came out of the speakers.

Namely, a song.

There was an upbeat opening, and then a song that jolted L's memory played.

"_Shiroi hane ga hora mieru desho?__  
><em>_Anata wo mitsumete'ru me mo__  
><em>_Amai koe mo yasashii te mo__  
><em>_Anata dake no tame ni iru hazu__  
><em>_Sugoku chikai tokoro kara mamotte-iru no yo"_

L knew this song. It couldn't be. But it was… was this a coincidence?

That was the song that Setsuko Mitsuki had sung. Right before her retirement.

Right before what he suspected to be her contract with Kyubey or some other magical creature.

Right before she was declared missing.

Suddenly, he felt his head pound. Something was trying to force itself into his mind.

He knew what it was.

Magic.

Struggling through the pain, he saw Madoka also trying to block out the music. Reaching into his pockets, he found a few pieces of cake wrapper. Crumpling them quickly, he ran up and stuffed them in her ear, managing to ignore her primary resistance. Finally, she seemed to have calmed down, the improvised earplugs seeming to have done their work. L, on the other hand, continued to feel the pounding in his head, until finally it seemed to have retreated.

_Wait, is that possible?_ L wondered. _Do I have some sort of weird resistance to magic? _

Making a mental note to think about it later, L beckoned to Madoka, trying to ignore the music as he followed the mass of people, all who showed a witch's kiss on their neck.

Following the crowd, L noticed they seemed to enter what appeared to be a desolate concert stage. Trying to stay unnoticed, he looked at one of the posters on the wall. It was very old and seemed beat up.

It read: "Setsuko Mitsuki: Retirement Concert!"

It was dated some years ago.

L realized it then. This was there Setsuko made her final concert several years back. In other words, it was important.

Suddenly, Madoka tapped his shoulder. "Ryuzaki-sensei," Madoka said, "I think they're doing something over there."

Noticing that the music stopped, he took off Madoka's earplugs and looked at what the people were preparing on the stage. "…this may not be good. "

"What do you mean?" Madoka asked.

"…See that bucket?" L pointed over to one man dragging a bucket filled with substance. "…I can sense the smell. That's…"

"That's bleach…" Madoka said. "What' are they doing?"

L looked over at some of the other people. One of them had detergent. As he suspected. "They're going to mix bleach with detergent."

"Um… is that bad?" Madoka asked.

L sighed, a strange feat in this situation. "Bleach has Hydrochloric acid inside. Detergent seems to have a small trace of potassium inside if they mix, they'll create Chlorine gas. If that get's in the air… we're all going to end up in the next world."

"We-we have to stop them!" Madoka shouted.

"…We need a plan-"

Madoka didn't listen. Acting out of desperation, she ran towards the crowd of people and grabbed the bucket out of their hands. Running towards a window in the stage, she threw the bucket out the window.

L could immediately tell the people were not so happy with the fact Madoka saved their life. Immediately, they turned and began approaching her, their faces definitely not those of gratitude. Thinking quickly, he found a door. "Kaname-san! This way!" he yelled. Madoka turned and quickly ran. They entered, and L shut the door, holding it.

"Wh-what now?" Madoka asked, seeing they were at a dead end.

L turned around. As he turned, he noticed the area around him change. The dark room started to grow brighter, but he was sure this was not a human space. The scene around them grew into some kind of distorted concert stage, with disfigured crowds rising from the ground an charging toward them like zombies. On what appeared to be the stage, a ballerina like figure appeared, although L could tell that was no human. Behind it, on giant letters on the wall behind the stage, runes appeared. Again, L, still unsure why himself, was able to read it.

"S…I…R… EN… Siren." He muttered, going in front of Madoka protectively to shield her from the zombie like familiars. "Stay behind me, Kaname-san."

"…No." She said, giving a sad tone of defeat. "It's… okay. Ryuzaki-sensei, please run."

"What are you saying?" he asked, turning.

"…This must be my punishment." She said sadly. "This all happened because I was weak. Because I couldn't do anything for Mami-san. But at the very least, I have to save you." Madoka explained in a sad tone. "Ryuzaki-sensei, you're actually a policeman, right? Even if you decide to forget about magic, you still help people, right?" Madoka gave a sad smile. "That's why you're more worth saving-"

"That's a fallacy, Madoka-san." L replied nonchanantly. "Or rather, a contradiction. You are telling me not to help you so that I can help other people in the future. That's illogical." L said, examining the approaching familiars. "I cannot leave you and run. That goes against everything I stand for." _Everything I swore to when I became L._ Bracing himself, he watched as the familiar leaped towards him-

A flash of blue light. That was all he saw.

L blinked. _What happened?_

Another flash of blue. An explosion. Dozens of familiars vanishing. A figure stood in front of them.

L's eyes widened. _N-no…!_

Madoka actually spoke. "Sa-Sayaka-chan!"

"Ryuzaki!" Another voice followed.

L lamented. "…So you were with her… Yagami-kun…"

"Well… she made the contract before I saw her…" Light admitted as he caught up.

L took a look at Sayaka's new form. Unlike Mami, Sayaka seems to have taken up the use of swords. Her costume was themed in blue, with a long white cape flowing behind her. Without saying a word, Sayaka leaped onto the grotesque stage, where a monster was forming.

The closest thing to a human existence the witch resembled seemed to be a ballerina. A very grotesque one at that too. As she appeared, the song from earlier played again, and she was dancing to it as if she was an idol, except the song grew more and more grotesque each moment, until the sound was most definitely not human. It was a distortion, just like a witch was a distortion of humanity.

With a battle cry, Sayaka grabbed her sword and swung, catching the ballerina in the middle of a leap. Split in half, the remains of the witch shrieked as she and the familiars disappeared. In the end, L, Light, Madoka and Sayaka watched the labyrinth dissolve, returning to the human concert stage.

"Phew." Sayaka sighed as she returned to her cheery self.

"Sa-Sayaka-chan…" Madoka muttered.  
>"Hm?" She looked at Madoka. She then gave a nervous chuckle. "Don't worry about it. I mean, I did pretty well for a beginner, right?"<p>

"But… you contracted… and right after…"

"That's why." Sayaka said, turning serious. "With Mami-san gone, there's no one left to protect the town… that's why…" She then suddenly turned. "Well aren't you late, transfer student." She spat, right at the space now occupied by Akemi Homura.

"…" Strangely, she ignored the two girls and glared at L. "Ryuzaki-sensei, what are you?"

"Your homeroom teacher." L replied nonchalantly.

"…Whatever. Sayaka… you…"

"I'm not going to leave the protection of this town to a greedy girl like you." Sayaka said, ready for a fight.

Homura stared for a few more moments, then left.

XXXXX

The next day (April 5th), 1:00 am

L sat on a high construction building. He didn't feel like returning to his hotel room. The intricate designs on the wall, meant to showcase comfort, began to remind him of distorted labyrinths. He was crouched, hugging his knees. This was bad. He needed sugar, but cake was out of the question.

"What the heck is up with this?" the frustrated voice of a girl pierced his melancholy. Looking up, he did not try to identify the source of the sound, but continued to listen.

"It seems like someone had contracted before you got here." To L's surprise, Kyubey was speaking.

"Screw that." The girl's voice resounded again. "I came all the way here." There was a pause, and L noticed the sound of munching. "I'm not going to let some wet nosed brat take the perfect territory from me, not when it's ripe for picking after Mami's death."

L mused. So she was a Mahou Shoujo as well. Only problem was, Sayaka seemed to be in her way. And she didn't seem like she was going to let it stay that way.

XXXXX

The moment Homura returned to her apartment, she slammed her hands in frustration. She had never been so frustrated. Not even when she fought.

"Ryuzaki… Sensei…" she muttered with a deadly tone.

XXXXX

_Flashback to yesterday afternoon_

_ "You solved the challenge?" Homura asked, doubt evident in her voice._

_ "Yes." L nodded. "The girls-"_

_ "You're wrong." Homura sighed. "You're rather stupid if you think that I would give away the answer so easily-"_

_ "I never concluded they were dead, Homura-san." _

_ She shot up. "Then what?" _

_ "…It's the only logical conclusion." L said. "As you just told me, the only three main sources of magic in this world are Witches, Mahou Shoujo and Kyubey himself. Now, I considered many things. The ratio of witches to mahou shoujo, the meaning of the words "Soul gem" and "grief seed" and too many other factors to count." L said._

_ "Your point… being?" Homura asked. L could tell she was actually nervous._

_ "I'll get straight to the point." L said. He held up her soul gem. "Soul Gems… when they become too dark… they become grief seeds. And the Mahou Shoujo becomes a witch."_

XXXXX

Author's note:

Several things:

This is what L was doing the past few chapters while you were all probably thinking "hurry up, L!". Figuring this out. In fact, he's a genius to have figured it out this early on. But let's face it. During the anime, I think a part of us already suspected it ever since episode 2, but the thing with L is, he is able to go past that and let logic lead him to the answer that we (the viewers) want to deny out of emotion. That's how L was able to reach the answer so fast.

I will have L explain his logic more clearly next chapter, so don't be left going "He hacked! He cheated! He consulted with the author!"

oh yes… Light WILL play a part in the story. It's just… you may not like it. Not pretty at all.

4) the song briefly shown "Shirou hanega hora," yadda yadda is "Ai no Tenshi" from the movie "Perfect Blue". I do not own it. The witches "Siren" and "Fortuna" belong to Abicion.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Yes, even flaming. Cause I'll just extinguish them.


	6. You want one?

I do not own Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika nor do I own Death Note. If I did, L would not have died.

Chapter 6

You want one?

_"My logic is rather simple, Akemi-san." L explained, ignoring the fact she looked like she was going to kill him. "Especially when I considered the fact grief seeds and soul gems have such a powerful relation to each other."_

_ "You figured it out from that?" Homura glared._

_ "No, not purely from that." L explained. "That was when I first had my suspicions, but I needed more proof. Further proof came on the night Tomoe-san hunted down the familiar. She did not know how witches were created. That is a sign that Kyubey had been hiding it from them."_

_ "…" Homura could only continue to glare. _

_ "And then we have the names." L said, nearing the end of his deduction. "The world "Grief" means a variety of things, but all in all it symbolizes negative emotions. Sadness. Hatred. Name what you want." He then gestured to Homura's soul gem. "The world 'soul' refers to the mental, spiritual portion of one's existence… as well as the part that experiences the emotions one feels." L explained. "…my deduction is that grief seeds are soul gems which had been corrupted by the stress and negative emotions that a mahout shoujo feels. And Akemi Homura, you knew this, didn't you?"_

_ She did not answer, but that told enough. Turning back, continued walking to his destination with Madoka._

XXXXX

A few weeks later

April 16th

"Alright class, please remember the paper due tomorrow." L said near the end of the school day. As he stayed as a student teacher for a longer while, it seemed he began to take on more responsibilities.

As the class filed out, L looked over at Madoka and Sayaka. They _looked_ fine, although one could not deny the fact they both looked more stressed, and that both seemed to have more on their minds. Nodding goodbye to the two of them, L walked out of the classroom.

As he walked back towards his hotel-which he almost rarely returned to now- he encountered Light on the way.

"Yagami-san." L nodded in recognition of his existence.

"Ryuzaki." Light nodded back. "What's the matter?"

"…Yagami-san, about the challenge delivered to us by Akemi-san, I have received a hint." L told him. He had not told him he had solved it.

"A hint?" Light asked.  
>"Yes." L nodded. "…the only magical creatures are Kyubey, Mahou Shoujo and witches."<p>

Leaving the hint there, L walked off, leaving Light to think.

XXXXX

A few minutes later, L was back in his new favorite thinking spot. Namely, a high spot in a construction zone overlooking the city. He sat in his usual position, crouched with his thumb in his mouth. And again, today, he would try again. Opening his bag, he carefully took out a cardboard box. Placing it on the ground, he retrieved another object from the bag- a fork.

Opening the box revealed a nice, fluffy vanilla cake. Layered with cream, just like L always liked it.

Taking the fork, he gently retrieved the tip of the cake. Staring at the piece, he placed it near his mouth.

_Will you…will you really fight alongside me?_

The hand stopped, the cake halfway to his mouth. Again. It was happening again. Her voice resonated in his head.

_Of course._ This time it was his own voice. Saying the exact same words he said on the fateful day.

His mind became a whirlwind. Clutching his forehead in pain, L dropped the fork. _She_ filled his mind. Her smiling. Her sadness. Confessing she was not as strong as she was. Him and Madoka cheering her up again, a promise to a better tomorrow. Her happiness when they promised to be with her.

And the fateful moment when she was killed.

And through all that, one word pounded steadily, like a drumbeat, booming in his head like some deeply hidden monster.

_Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake._

Charlotte the desert witch loved cake. She loved sweets. Just like he did.

And she killed Mami.

She loved cake.

And she brutally ended a life.

She loved cake

And she was no longer in control of herself.

And now she would never be. Neither would Tomoe Mami.

His mind now a torrent of memories and thoughts, L lost his composure. With a yell, he swiped his hand wildly, flinging the cake off the construction beam and sent it pummeling down to the street below. He breathed in and out to regain his composure.

He felt jittery. He needed cake. However, since the incident with the desert witch, he couldn't even look at cake without having a traumatic reaction. He felt just like a butterfly that was allergic to pollen, if that was even possible.

"Sugar… sugar… sugar…" he muttered, beginning to shake again.

"Yo." A voice suddenly called from behind him. L's ears perked. He recognized this voice. He heard it a few weeks ago, in the middle of the night. In this very spot. Turning back, L met the one who confronted him.

A red haired girl with a green sweater was facing him. Seeing her grin, L's first impression was she did a very good imitation of a wolf, fox or other mischievous canine. But what registered in his mind the most was the box of pocky she had in her hand. Looking at the label, L read.

"New limited edition: Pocky extra sweet! Now with Two times more sugar!"

"You want one?" she asked, offering him the pockies.

Nodding in appreciation, L accepted her offer, picking one.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" she asked.

"Why do you ask?" L asked in response.

"I usually come here." She shrugged. "It's sort of my thinking spot. Now answer my question.

"I'm thinking too." L replied, feeling warm inside as his sugar cravings subsided. "I don't see you from around here." L commented in the least suspicious manner possible. "What school do you go to?"

"I don't go. I'm a truant. Are you gonna do something about it?" She grinned.

"I'm a teacher. If you really are skipping school, then I have to report you." L said, his expression not even changing.

"Nice try." The girl grinned.

"…where are your parents?" L asked.

"…" the girl's expression turned serious, even sad. "…gone."

"any relations?"

"none."

L mused. "My name is Hideki Ryuuzaki." He said, using his full alias. "Please just call me Ryuuzaki-san or something like the sort."

"…I'm Sakura Kyouko." The girl replied, getting her grin back. Looking at a watch, she said "I have to go. I have… somewhere to be. See ya later." She waved and headed off.

L thought. This girl seemed like a pretty good person, although her lack of formal education may be a bit discerning. However, if his ears were true, then he had a feeling he would soon be on her bad side.

XXXXX

After a few more minutes of thinking, L got up and walked down. Deciding he had no more reason to be here, he wondered how Sayaka was doing on her new "job." He walked slowly out of the building with no plan other than to wander around the town and hope to run into them.

About half an hour later, he was about to enter an alley when he heard voices. "Are you crazy?" To his disappointment but not surprise, Kyouko's voice could be hard. "That thing was only a familiar! You're supposed to wait for it to get stronger before finishing it off so you have a grief seed!"

""Shut up!" Sayaka rebuked. "I'm not going to let it kill innocents just to fatten it up!"

"Are you an idiot?" L could hear the girl laugh. "You think you can be some high and mighty hero and protect everyone? Face reality!"

"Why you…!" L could notice it. The air was thick with murderous intent. He could feel it. So could too, apparently, the pink haired girl who stood beside them. "S-Sayaka-chan!" Madoka insisted. "You mustn't fight! Please, you too!" L figured she was pleading to the red haired girl.

"Stay out of this!" Kyouko spat.

"Don't talk to Madoka like that!" Sayaka yelled. With a cry, the fight began.

Peering from behind the wall, L observed them fight. Sayaka did her best, but he could tell she was being beaten. Kyouko, who's mahout shoujo costume was themed red, used what seemed to be a spear, although it could break into chains and twirl around. L supposed it must have been magic. But that was the least on his mind. Sayaka was losing. Their experiences and skill were just too different, and Sayaka was just too tired from the last fight against the familiar. Last but not least, in the background, he could hear Madoka begging them to stop.

After a while, it seemed the two had come to a deadlock, but it was clear Sayaka was on the losing end. Gathering their breath, L could tell that they were both preparing for one final, deciding strike. With a yell, the two girls leaped towards each other. And then, L took action.

In the coming weeks, he would never exactly figure out why, but at that moment L moved. Not anywhere, but right into the alley.

Or rather, to be precise, right in between the two murderous Mahou Shoujo.

Having noticed the fact there was a peculiar blue haired figure between herself and the person they were trying to beat in a fight, both girls instinctively switched from their weapons. However, out of bodily reflexes, their fists on the opposite hands were held up.

*THWACK*

Perhaps L was lucky his jaw wasn't simply just crushed, but instead of caving in his jaw, the force of the punches -both hitting either side of the cheek- spun him around until he hit the floor. Landing with a thud, all three girls –including Madoka- turned their heads towards him. At that moment, L felt he should say something important, to convey to them something he wanted to say, the one thing he hand in his mind which described how he felt.

So he did. One short word.

"Ow."

"Ryu-Ryuzaki sensei!" Sayaka gasped, running over to help him up. However, he shook her away, getting up on his own and facing the girls.

"Wh-why are you here!" Kyouko asked angrily. "And why do you know HER!" she asked, even angrier, as she pointed at Sayaka.

"…I told you. I'm a teacher. I'm their homeroom teacher." L replied.

"Ryu-Ryuzaki sensei," Sayaka asked, "How do you know-"

"I met her about half a hour ago on a construction building." L explained, knowing what she was going to ask already. "Miki-san, Sakura-san, please don't fight. It's already enough to have to fight monsters, don't make it hard on yourselves and fight each other too."

"Shut up!" Kyouko rebuked. "She's-" the redhead pointed to Sayaka- "the one who was being an idiot! She's-"

"No I'm not!" Sayaka rebuked. "You're the one who's willing to stand by and let people die!"

"So what! It's not like-"

"That's enough." L said, pushing the two away. Over his short time as a teacher, he seemed to have subconsciously learned conflict management. "Please don't fight." He repeated.

"Speaking of which," Kyouko snapped at L, "How do YOU know about this world!" she demanded.

"World?" L asked. "Earth? I was born on it and I-"

"You know what I mean!"

L sighed. "…I am afraid I cannot tell you." He said.

"Humph!" Turning away, Kyouko leaped onto a roof and disappeared.

Staying silent, L turned to leave when Sayaka stopped him. "Why'd you stop us!" She complained. "Just a bit more and I would have-"

"Been pulverized." L said bluntly as he left. He sighed as he walked. He didn't know why, but he had hoped Kyouko wouldn't antagonize the girls. Perhaps it was because she looked so lonely, just as Mami had been, but he just couldn't help but feel for her.

Besides, it was interesting to meet someone else who constantly ate such as he did.

"Ryuzaki-sensei." A cold voice came from behind him, interrupting his thoughts. Turning, he was surprised by the appearance of Homura. "Akemi-san." He nodded. "How may I help you?"

"…come with me." She said. It wasn't even a question. It didn't mean "Please come with me." It meant "You will come with me."

XXXXX

Of all the places she could have taken him to, she took him to…

"A gaming center?" L asked.

"Just follow me." Homura said, visibly annoyed. Once inside, she seemed to head right for the Dancing game machines. "I never knew you liked dancing."

"Shut up." She said, her annoyance becoming clearer. However, once they saw the user of the machine, Homura's purpose in coming became clear.

Then again, L figured, it _could_ be possible that the fact Kyouko was playing was coincidence.

Then again, it was not very likely.

"What do you want?" Kyouko asked, focused on the game. L noticed she had a pocky stick in her mouth.

"I just want to ask you a few questions." Homura said. "First off, why are you here? Two Mahou shoujo in one area is a lot already."

"I'm here to take the area." Kyouko said, still focused. L looked at the screen. She was dancing to a song titled "The World". A peculiar name.

"Why are you here, anyways?" Kyouko asked Homura. "Don't tell me you're after this area too."

"…in two week's time, the night of Walpurgis is coming." Homura said. "Once I beat it, I will leave."

That clicked L's mind. "The Night of Walpurgis."

In simpler English, it meant "Night of the witches". Was something big going to happen?

"Speaking of which," Kyouko turned as she finished the game, "Why is he with you?" She pointed to L. "Who is he? He told me he's a teacher, but why does he know so much about magic?"

"…I will not tell you who he is." Homura said. "I do not know what he is. But I will tell you one thing about him. Don't underestimate him."

"Thank you for making me sound like a villain, Akemi-san." L said blatantly. It was clear she had not expected him to figure out her "challenge". Not bothering to humor him, Homura turned and left. Noting her leave, L decided he should head out as well.

After a while. as he wandered aimlessly once more, L passed by a little shop. After taking a look, he scrounged his pockets for money. Then, he went inside.

He came out with ten newly purchased packs of limited edition extra sweet Pocky sticks.

XXXXX

Meanwhile

"This… this is…" Light's eyes were wide. Strewn around him were various case files. However, right now, to him, the only one open was the one in front of him.

Namely, the case file of Fiona Arkwood.

Light knew the basics. She disappeared. Her friend was found in a warehouse. There were burn marks.

But how could he not have seen this? How could he not have realized…

That they had been to the location? The day they fought Fortuna?

How could he not have realized… the warehouse where Fiona disappeared and the warehouse where Fortuna was defeated were one and same.

_So, did that mean Fiona and Fortuna had a connection? But if Fiona really was a Mahou shoujo, then… _

His mind contorted in horror as he reached the same conclusion as L did a few weeks ago. Suddenly, behind him there was a clang. Startled, he turned. "Who-who's there!"

"Yagami Light." Kyubey said as he approached through a window.

"Kyubey… what do you want?"

"Yagami-kun," Kyubey said in his ever-deceiving tone, "I assume you have figured out-"

"-that soul gems become grief seeds! Yes!" He roared. "Why-!"

"It's all for the greater good." Kyubey said, swishing his tail.

That stopped Light. "The… greater good?" He asked slowly.

"Yep!" Kyubey nodded. Then, he hopped down and started walking towards Light. "Yagami-kun, I have something to ask of you. Something that not even Mahou Shoujo are capable of.

I want you to become a savior. I want you to help me save your planet-no, the entire universe."

XXXXX

"Two weeks until Walpurgis Night."

XXXXX

End of Chapter 5

Author's note

1)…personally, I think I just plunged this story into a nosedive. I think I regret making L figuring it out so fast. And Light took two weeks longer…

2) I need to run away before any L Fangirls who happen upon this fic kill me over his traumatic reaction against cake. But he has a new addiction now!

Reviews are greatly appreciated.


	7. I am L

Author's note: For those of you who still read this, thank you very much.

Chapter 7

I am L

XXXXX

Later that Afternoon

"Ryuzaki." A cold voice stopped L a little while after his purchase.

"…I'm a teacher. That's 'Ryuzaki-sensei' to you."

"Stop pretending. I don't know who you are, but at the very least you're not a teacher." Homura approached him again. "I wasn't done with you."

"But you left without me."

"I expected you to follow." She glared. "Come with me."

As they walked, L mused. "What is it that you want with me?"

"It's unheard of that a human like you understands our world so well." Homura said. "To be able to figure everything out so fast; you are not the average person."

"…so, in other words," L asked, "You think I might be a powerful ally?"

Hearing that, Homura turned around and glared. "Don't be mistaken. I'm not naïve. I don't want you as an ally. I'm making sure you aren't siding with Kyubey."

"Ah, that little white creature." L nodded. "Understandable. I would do the same in your situation."

"And on that matter," Homura stopped. L looked at their destination.

An apartment room with "Akemi" tagged on it.

"…you're inviting me in?" L was sure _her_ apartment wasn't as comfortable as Mami's was.

"…you'll be moving in."

"Excuse me?"

"…I've made the arrangements." Homura said. "You're coming whether you like it or not. That way, I can keep an eye on you and make sure you don't do anything funny."

"…" L sighed. "Very well. But I will warn you, I may impose a large portion of your space." As he walked in, he verified his assumption as correct. Instead of the comfort of a home, Homura's walls were covered in information.

Specifically, regarding a witch.

Peering at one of these displays, L read. "…Walpurgis Night." He looked at the calculations. "That is some rather advanced statistical calculations." L observed.

"That's beside the point." Homura said, not even looking at him. "Are you going to-" She sensed something. "Let's go."

"Go? Where?"

"…Those two are fighting."

"Those two? Sakura-san and Miki-san?"

Without saying a word, she headed out, L following her.

XXXXX

Meanwhile

"If we're here, then neither of us needs to hold back." Kyouko smirked. The location of the showdown between the two Mahou Shoujo turned out to be a long, desolate bridge. "Let's put on a good show."

Holding up her ring, her red soul gem appeared, enveloping her in red light. When the light subsided, she was in her Mahou Shoujo attire, spear in hand.

Steeling herself for the fight, Sayaka held up her soul gem as well, but before she could transform, a cry of "Wait!" was heard. Turning back, Sayaka saw Madoka running towards her, Kyubey on her shoulder.

"Madoka!" Sayaka seemed a bit surprised. "Don't get in our way! This doesn't concern you!"

"You two shouldn't fight!" Madoka tried to plead. "This just isn't right!"

"Humph." Kyouko pointed her spear. "Annoying people sure attract annoying friends."

"Then what are you saying about us?" a presence that almost instantly appeared commented coldly. Startled, Kyouko twirled around. Where there was only air before, Homura and L appeared, Homura already transformed.

"Ryuzaki-sensei!" Sayaka yelled angrily. "Why are you on their side!"

"I will be blunt, Miki-san." L said. "I am not on their side. Neither am I on yours."

"Then who's side are you on?" Kyouko asked.

"The side which acts and thinks rationally and logically."

"This isn't what we discussed. You're not supposed to get involved with her." Homura interrupted, the words directed at Kyouko."

"Your plan is way too slow!" Kyouko complained. "Besides, that side is ready to fight."

"Then let me handle it. You stay put." The black haired Mahou shoujo stepped out front.

"Fine. I'll give you time until I finish eating this." She pointed to the pocky stick in her mouth.

"That will be enough."

On the opposite side, Sayaka held up her soul gem again. However, she wouldn't transform. At the last moment, Madoka ran up to her.

"Sayaka-chan, I'm sorry!"

Running towards the edge of the bridge, she prepared to throw the gem out onto the street below. Seeing that, L's eyes widened.

"Kaname-san, Don't-!"

He didn't make it in time. She threw the gem, and it landed right on a passing truck, which zoomed onwards, it's driver unaware of the addition to it's cargo.

In a flash, Homura disappeared, no doubt going to chase after it.

"Madoka!" Sayaka yelled. "What did you do that for-"

The words stopped suddenly. Too sudden. In an instant, her eyes became empty and she fell, collapsing into Madoka's arms. Instantly, the pink haired girl went into confusion.

"Sa…yaka?" She asked slowly. "What happened? Sayaka!"

"That wasn't good, Madoka!" Kyubey stated as it hopped on the railing. "To just suddenly toss your friend over the railing; there's something wrong with you!"

"What?" she asked slowly. L was sure she did not completely comprehend this. "What do you mean?"

By then, Kyouko ran over. Taking Sayaka's body, she lifted her by the neck.

"…what the hell is this!" She gasped. "She's… dead!" stepping back, she let go, letting Sayaka's body slowly fall to the ground.

"Sayaka-chan?" Madoka asked in an almost pleading tone. "Sayaka-chan! Wake up! Please! What's happening!"

Gritting in frustration, Kyouko took a more direct approach. "Oi!" She yelled, facing Kyubey. "What's the meaning of this?"

"You Mahou Shoujo can only control your bodies in an area up to 100 meters radius." Kyubey said in a tone which clearly showed he couldn't care less.

"100 meters? What the hell does that mean!" Kyouko demanded.

"He means the soul gems." L said, cutting off Kyubey.

"Ryu… Ryuzaki?" Kyouko asked, surprised. "What do you mean!"

"…that object that you all hold. The soul gem."

"What does that have to do with it!" Madoka was hysterical by now. "Please! Sayaka's going to die!"

"…Kaname-san," Ryuzaki said, almost apologetic, "…I'm sorry. That's not Miki Sayaka that you're holding in your arms."

"what?"

"…I know you didn't mean to… you didn't know… none of you did, but…" L tried to make it clear she was not responsible. "…you just threw Miki Sayaka over the railing."

"Wh…what?" Kyouko gasped.

"…I will make this clear. A normal human body cannot take the toll of fighting witches. At least, that is what Kyubey believes. And he is right. Even when we saw Tomoe-san fight, she sustained injuries that would have killed any regular person." _Me included_. …he gestured at Kyouko's soul gem. "The word 'soul' means the spiritual part of a person. Some regard it as the source of thought and feeling. Normally, the soul is inside of us. However…" he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. Kyubey has removed the souls from your body and placed it in the soul gems. Your body is essentially a tool now."

There was a stunned silence as Kyouko and Madoka heard it all.

"I don't get why you sound so apologetic." Kyubey swished his tail. "Rather, placing the soul into the soul gem makes their magical output much more efficient."

"You… bastard…" Kyouko went up to Kyubey and lifted him up violently. "What did you do to us! You've turned us into zombies!"

"Isn't this better for you?" Kyubey reasoned. "Even if you get stabbed in the heart; even if you lose all your blood, as long as your soul gem is intact, you can repair your body with magic. As long as your soul gem is safe, you're all practically invincible. It's much better than fighting witches with a human body that's riddled with weaknesses."

There was silence as the girls took it all in. L had figured this all out before hand, but it took him all his strength and discipline to remain calm as he forced himself to watch the heartless creature describe it all to them. Or to be specific, to stop himself from pounding the little creature into smithereens. He had to be Ryuzaki. He had to be L. He had to be calm.

"…That's… terrible… how could you?" Madoka began sobbing.

There was a pause. "You humans are always like that." Kyubey said, a hint of contempt and boredom in his voice, staring down Madoka and Kyouko, who looked like she was going to throttle the creature. "Every time I tell someone, it's the same response. I don't get it. Why do humans care so much where their soul is?"

There was another silence, and then L turned. Homura was back, Sayaka's soul gem in her hand. Walking over, she placed it in the open hand.

The soul gem glowed, and color began returning to Sayaka's eyes. All eyes on the scene turned to her as she got up. L was already wondering how he should explain when the most unexpected words came from her mouth.

"…what? What happened?" she asked, completely oblivious that, for a few minutes, her best friend thought she was dead.

XXXXX

That Evening

L needed to calm himself. His thinking capacity had been drastically decreasing the past few days due to the lack of sugar in his system. He needed an alternative to cake. And he found it. These "Limited Edition Extra Sweet Pocky Sticks" should keep him sane for the next few weeks while he found the time for a psychiatrist or a counselor to deal with his trauma against cake.

_Crunch_

The sensation of sugar rushing into his body relieved him as he sat on the high construction tower again. It was dusk, and he was back on his thinking spot.

"Yo!" A cheerful voice interrupted his brooding. Turning back, he saw Kyouko coming towards him. As usual, he had food in her hand.

"Sakura-san." He nodded.

"Here again?" She asked.

"…how are you doing?" he asked out of concern, a rare thing for the detective.

"The whole soul gem thing? I think I got used to it." Kyouko admitted. "Besides, it probably won't make much of a difference in the long run."

"What did you do to provoke Miki Sayaka into fighting you?"

"What," she turned and faced him, "Are you interrogating me or something?" L responded only with silence. Seeing he wasn't going to let up, Kyouko sighed. "I, uh… you know that Kyousuke guy, right? The violinist?" Seeing L nod, she continued. "I… kinda suggested to her that if she wanted to make him completely hers, then she should break his arms and legs and make him helpless without her."

"…little wonder why you two ended up fighting." L mused.

"Anyways," She sighed. "You don't sound like you're going to talk. But I have one question."

"Go right ahead." L invited.

"…that day Sayaka and I met each other for the first time, why did you stop our fight?" she asked.

"…oh. Between you and Miki-san." He sighed. "…No reason."

"Were you on Sayaka's side or my side when we fought?"

"…neither. Like I said, I'm always on the side of the calm and rational thinker." L said blatantly. That sent Kyouko laughing.

"Can I ask something?" L got his turn in after she calmed down. "…why did you become a Puella Magi?"

"what?"

"Well, you don't seem like the kind of person who signed up to fight for justice…"

"What makes you think that?" She rebuked.

"…I saw your fight with Miki-san. Please don't underestimate me."

She grinned. "Guess I can't help it. Besides, I think I made a bad impression on you." She took a moment to get ready to tell her story. "I guess I should start with my family." She sighed.

"My dad ran a church. He was a priest." She started. "He was an emotional guy, the kind to cry when he read the papers. He did his best and acted in what he thought was the best for everyone.

But he began preaching away from the mainstream church. He said that to save a newer generation, new teachings should be taught.

Everything changed after that. He was excommunicated from the church, and people began to shun him. He went out on the streets, trying to spread his teachings. People threw stuff at him. They avoided him. Guess it can't be helped." She admitted sadly. "We must have looked like some sort of cult. But I was frustrated. If those people listened for even five minutes, then they might have thought he was right. But they didn't. And that's when I met Kyubey.

I made a wish that people would listen to my dad's teachings. And it worked. Day after day, people flocked to our church to hear him speak. Of course, I had to hunt witches as well, but I thought it was all good. Dad and I working to make the better world, him out front and me from behind the scenes.

Before I go on, I think I should mention something." She turned to him. "…I met you."

"Excuse me?" L asked.

"Or, someone who looked like you. But not quite." She explained. "…you looked like him, except for one thing. He had the creepiest red eyes. He was one of the people who came to listen to my dad."

_Red eyes… looked like him…_ "…Do you know what happened?" L asked.

"I should go on." Kyouko said. "Eventually, I don't remember how, but my dad found out." She looked down, unable to meet L in the eyes. "He called me a witch that manipulated people's minds. He went insane, and… killed everyone in the family along with himself. I was the only one left. Since then, I've promised myself to only use magic for my own gain.

But there was something I had to do. I mentioned earlier, I met a creepier version of you." She explained. "I was worried he would twist my father's teachings, so in order to at least protect my dad's name I searched for him. I ended up in-"

"Los Angeles." L finished for her. Startled, she turned around. "How did you know?"

"…do go on."

Now slightly suspicious, Kyouko continued. "I couldn't let him twist my father's teachings. At the very least, I felt like I needed to stop him. Later, I learned that he was killing."

"…The Los Angeles BB (Beyond Birthday) killer." L muttered.

Kyouko turned. "You know?"

"…Please go on. I will explain later."

"…anyways, turns out he was caught already. But something felt weird. The police were never this good." She grinned a bit as she said that. "…I did some digging around-"

"How?"

"I snuck into police files. Magic makes it so much easier. Anyways, turns out they had help. Some guy named L."

_Uh-oh. _

"He's pretty amazing." Kyouko sighed. "I did some digging up on him, but even with magic I barely knew much around him. All I could find was that he helps police around the world with major cases." She turned to him. "Now, your turn."

"...Very well, Sakura-san." L nodded. "I think I should begin with an apology. I also feel like I owe you an explanation." L began _his_ tale. "You were caught up in… what we could call _my _world."

"Your… world?"

"…the Los Angeles BB killer was driven by a mad desire to surpass a certain person." L stopped before he continued.

_What am I doing? I'm about to reveal everything about myself to someone I barely know… this isn't like me…_ But nevertheless, he continued.

"He wanted to surpass a certain detective. And in order to do that, he wanted to become the world's most infamous criminal."

"A certain detective? Who's that?"

"…That detective works behind the scenes in many major cases." L closed his eyes. "He has the authority to direct Interpol, the FBI… CIA… Scotland Yard… the RCMP… MI6… MI5… every single intelligence and police organization in the world.

Yet, that one person felt helpless. Even when he directed them, he could not do the one thing he wished. He wanted to fight alongside them. Yet, that was impossible. All he could ever do was watch from the shadows."

"How… how do you know this?" Kyouko began to act hostile to L.

"That's because…" L closed his eyes. Should he?

He should.

"…I am L."

There was a pause. Then, Kyouko chuckled nervously. "You're kidding, right?"

"…do you have any case files on L?" he asked.

"…only one about a bio terrorist group."

"That will do. Will you believe me if I explained in detail?"

"…sure. But I doubt you can." She challenged.

"…the bio terrorist group was blue earth. Their original aim was to develop a mutated strand of the ecola virus and spread it around the world. But that was only a sham. Their leader actually only wished to develop a vaccine and sell it for profit." L explained. "That was the closest case I had. I managed to leap on board their flight to America at the last second and distribute the vaccine developed from Midkine-" he looked at Kyouko. Her face was a mixture of confusion, denial and disbelief, then finally a small grin showed.

"Where was their original testing place for the virus?"

"A village in Thailand."

"…that explains everything." Kyouko sighed. "No wonder why you were so smart. I was worried you knew everything because you were with Kyubey, but to think you figured it out on your own…"

"I told you." Homura stepped out from the shadows behind them. "He is not one to be underestimated. However, I admit, not even I knew that he was L. The only question that remains now is, L, what are you going to do now?"

"…" L thought for a minute. "I guess I'll have to wait and see."

"Another question." Kyouko stopped him. "…that other person with you. Yagami-sensei or whatever. He's not a teacher either, is he?"

"You saw us together?" L asked.

"Yep. Now answer my question."

"…you are right." L nodded. "Yagami-kun is a NPA officer. I asked him to come with me on this case. I regret that now."

"Why?"

"…this case is far more darker than what I originally perceived it to be. I only wanted to see what he could do, but this is too much. The least I could do is to try and keep him away from this world now." With another sigh, he got up. "Oh yes. Sakura-san."

"What?" The redhead replied.

"…I think it would be best if you and Miki-san talked it over together." L said. "Try to be friends." Then staring straight ahead, he left to prepare himself for what was to come.

XXXXX

Later that evening (Or early morning next day, however you want to think about it)

The moment L returned to Homura's residence, he picked up a phone he had set up there. Ignoring the fact Homura was watching his every move, he dialed a number.

"Hello? NPA… yes… this is L. I have some information that I would like… no, I'm sorry, I cannot divulge the details… yes… yes… I understand… very well. I would like to request video tapes of a certain operation performed in Mitakihara Hospital. Patient Name Kamijou Kyousuke. Surgery to regain use of his fingers… this is information for a certain case… no, I'm sorry, I cannot divulge the information, like I said… understood. Thank you very much." L hung up the phone. Continuing to ignore Homura, he turned around to set up his vast array of computers. As he did, he looked over at one side of her wall. On it, surrounded by data displays, was a large countdown clock. He read what it said.

"13 Days until Walpurgis Night"

XXXXX

END OF CHAPTER 7

Author's note: Alright. Here's the deal. Some of you may not like L revealing who he is. If I get enough people against this chapter, I can scrap this and rewrite this chapter. Deal?

Reviews are greatly appreciated.


	8. Savior

Author's note: Here I go again.

OH! If any of you people know the person/people who recommended my fic on TV tropes (or if you ARE Psyga315 or the Nerf Guy), I would like to say thank you for liking my fic (at least in the beginning). I would also like to respectfully request that the recommendation be either updated (cause I think this goes past "potential to be") or deleted if it is not meeting standards any more. Thank you very much.

Oh yes, I will be writing a sequel to this.

Chapter 8

Savior

April 19 (Wednesday)

Miki Sayaka was falling apart.

At the very least, that was what L noticed. As he sat in Homura's apartment after school, staring and doing god knows what on his laptop, he thought of what was happening to the blue haired mahou shoujo.

Life in Homura's apartment was relatively quiet. Neither of them talked much. Neither of them seemed to sleep, either. During the night, Homura would tell him something about "preparing for Walpurgis night", but she couldn't fool him. He wasn't blind to the hundreds of explosive material she had stashed around the apartment.

Back on the topic of Miki Sayaka, L was thinking about his next few moves when an email distracted him.

"From: National Police Agency

To: L

Subject: Requested Video File

1 Attachment"

Opening the file, L peered closely. It was the video he requested. Leaving one of the extra sweet pocky sticks in his mouth, he stared at the screen to watch the video. He then frowned. Pausing the video, he erratically tapped the keyboard a few more times.

He found it. Hard evidence.

Closing the laptop, he bit the pocky stick and stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Homura asked.

"…I'm going to get some fresh air." He lied. In truth, he was going to the café. He was still traumatized against cake, but other sweets, such as donuts, were fine.

XXXXX

A few minutes later, L was in the café, sitting alone. His table laden with every sweet other than cake possible, he was working his way through eating the mountain of sugar when heard familiar voices.

"So, what's this about?" Sayaka asked casually. L's ears perked. Looking around, he saw Sayaka sitting in the café with one of her classmates. Hitomi, to be exact.

"Sayaka-san," She said, a serious look on her face, "I will be frank with you. I am here to discuss a matter of love."

Sayaka stayed silent.

"I've been keeping a secret from you and Madoka-san." She paused before continuing.

For a long time, L would regard the next moment as the beginning of Sayaka's mental spiraling depression.

"I'm in love with Kamijou Kyousuke. I have been for a long time."

It took L a lot of discipline to keep himself from making a racket by then. Of all the things that could have happened, this was the worst possible event and it happened at the worst possible timing. This was the LAST thing Sayaka needed to hear.

"Well… um… ahaha!' she chuckled nervously. "Who would have thought… man, Kyousuke sure got lucky, having you fall for him…"

Hitomi, however, stayed completely serious. "Sayaka-san, you are childhood friends with him, yes?"

"Um… well, yeah, I guess you could kind of say that…"

"I have decided to be honest with myself." Hitomi said. "I will confess to him tomorrow after school. Sayaka-san, you are my important friend. You have also known Kamijou-kun a lot longer than I have. That's why I feel it's important to tell you this. You have until tomorrow after school to confess to him. Please make sure you have no regrets."

With that, she bowed and left, leaving Sayaka at a loss as to what to do.

Thinking about the latest developments while watching the whole thing from the other side of the café, L bit into another donut.

XXXXX

That night

L walked around the city, following Homura. She had asked him to follow her the moment he had returned, taking him around the city. For what purpose, he did not know.

"Tell me," She spoke, breaking the silence, "Why do you not tell them?"

"That soul gems turn into grief seeds?" L mused. "…I suppose it would be one of two factors." He said. "One, no one would believe me. Two, if I did, it would rapidly accelerate the mental deterioration of the girls."

"…" Homura stayed silent after that.  
>"In any case," L muttered, "I have a general idea of what you are aiming for. I just need a few more details."<p>

"Good luck then." She said coldly. After a few more minutes, the pair stopped. Sitting in front of them, her red hair waving in the wind as she munched on snacks, was Kyouko.

"Good evening, Sakura-san." L greeted.

"Yo." She said, not taking her eyes of whatever she was looking at.

"It's not like you to just watch." Homura commented.

"…tonight, she's fighting against a real witch, not a familiar." Kyouko told them.

"So you're acting out of concern?" L asked.

"…" She stayed silent. Then, the opening in the labyrinth pulsed with energy. "Tch, that idiot. She's going to lose."

"Are you going to simply sit and watch?" L asked. Without bothering to answer him, she transformed and hopped in. L took her spot and watched with interest, taking note of the background. Peering, he saw runes again. "E…l…s…a… Ma…ria… Elsa Maria…" He muttered.

"How do you know?" Homura asked.

"To be honest, I am not sure." L admitted. "It feels like an inborn memory." Deciding to leave it alone for now, Homura turned her attention back to the fight.

Looking inside, L could see that Sayaka had rejected Kyouko's offer of help. She began blindly charging in, being hit numerous times. However, something was wrong. Even through silhouettes, he could tell something was wrong. She wasn't fighting carefully like normally. She was getting clumsily hit. She was taking much more hits than hitting.

But the most concerning was how she didn't seem to _care_.

After another blind charge, Sayaka had managed to get right on top of the witch. Swinging her sword madly, she struck brutally at the witch. On top of it all, one sound managed to penetrate the barrier so that even L and Homura could hear.

The sound of her demented laughter.

"…this is not good." L noted. "She's cut off a physical links from her soul to her body. She's completely blinding out the pain."

"What do _you _know of that?" Homura asked, more curious than angry.

"…it is much too impractical of a way to fight." L noted. "And… it would drain magic at a much higher rate."

Just then, the area began to shake. Sure that it was no earthquake, L looked inside the labyrinth. It was crumbling. Not as smoothly as other witches. It was literally painfully falling apart. Through all that, Sayaka continued to hack at the witch with the creepiest of smiles on her face. Then, during the last moments of the labyrinth crumbling, she stood up. "He was right." She grinned creepily. "If I do it like this, I feel invincible!"

There was the sound of shattering, and the labyrinth finally disappeared. The two mahou shoujo, along with Madoka, reappeared. L watched every move. Sayaka walked over to the grief seed and kicked it over to Kyouko.

"I'll let you have it." She said with a creepy grin. "That's what you want, isn't it?"

Kyouko tried to approach her. "Oi…"

"Now I don't owe you anything." Sayaka continued. "We're even."

"Miki-san," L said, coming out. "I wouldn't do that. I suggest you use the grief seed."

She didn't even face him. "Come on, Madoka. Let's go home." As she de-transformed, however, she collapsed into Madoka's arms. "Are you alright!"

"…sorry." Sayaka said, getting back on her feet slowly. "I think I got a bit tired."

"Don't push yourself. Hold on to me." Madoka said with a worried tone.

Kyouko watched them leave, the grief seed in her hand.

"That idiot."

L walked up until he was beside Kyouko. "I take it you tried to talk to her?"

"She wouldn't listen." She sighed.

"I didn't think she would." L admitted.

There was a silence, then Kyouko turned to face Homura. "Can I come over? I have something to ask."

XXXXX

It was an awkward silence, to say the least. That was what L observed. Homura and Kyouko sat on opposite sides of a table. Behind them, the giant pandemonium object continued to swing. Kyouko, bored of the silence, opened a package of instant noodles and began eating. "That's quite a lot of computers you have over there." She commented, looking over at L's hastily set up office, laying in one of the corners of the apartment.

There was another silence, and Homura pointed to a location on an aerial view of Mitakihara. "I expect Walpurgis night to appear here." She explained.

Kyouko slurped down a few more noodles as L bit into a package of raw sugar cubes. "What do you figure?" she finally asked.

"Statistics." She answered simply.

"Statistics?" Kyouko asked. "What statistics? There's been no record of Walpurgis night attacking this city before. Just where do you get your statistics from? Don't tell me he-" she pointed at L- "told you?"

Homura stayed silent. "I did no such thing." L affirmed.

Kyouko sighed. "Look, I know we're not going to completely trust each other, but don't you think you can tell me a bit more?"

"I would like to know that too, Akemi Homura." The most invasive voice chipped in. L's ears perked. _Kyubey._

Kyouko got up and materialized a spear at the white creature. "Just how are you going to make our life more miserable this time?" She pointed the weapon at it.

"Boy, you really don't want me here, do you? But tonight, I have information I think would be useful to you three."

"Huh?" Kyouko still looked like on the verge of thrusting her spear forward.

"Miki Sayaka's gem is degenerating faster than expected. Not just from outside, but now from within her as well."

"Entirely because of you." L muttered.

"If this keeps up," Kyubey continued, "Something bad might happen even before Walpurgis Night. You should be careful."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kyouko asked.

"Instead of me, why don't you ask those two?" Kyubey tilted towards L and Homura. "I'm sure they know."

There was a confused silence as Kyouko peered at L and Homura.

"…I heard what you came to told me. Disappear." Homura said in a cold tone. Closing it's eyes, Kyubey slowly trotted back into the shadows.

"So?" Kyouko asked. "What did he mean? What's gonna happen to Sayaka?"

"…her soul gem is gathering too much darkness. If we don't do something, something horrible is going to happen." Homura said.

XXXXX

April 27 (Wed)

The past few days passed almost routinely. However, there were two major problems L had on his mind.

First problem: Miki Sayaka was not attending school.

That was understandable. But not the second problem.

Yagami Light had disappeared.

He wasn't coming to teach, which resulted in L taking over his class. He wasn't seen around town either. L was starting to worry if something happened to him.

It was evening. Another night of staring at screens. Another night of Homura preparing explosives. Nothing showed that something would happen that day. Until Homura got up.

"I'm going outside."

"Whatever for, Akemi-san?" L asked through a pile of sweets in his mouth.

"…I'm going to try and save Miki Sayaka one last time." She said. Opening the door, she left.

L looked at his laptop for a few more seconds, then got up. _I suppose I shall get going too. _

A while later, L arrived at his destination. Yagami Light's apartment. He knocked on the door. "Yagami-kun, it's me."

No response.

He tried a few more times, but nothing worked. Light just wasn't home. Feeling defeated, he went back to the train station for a ride home.

It was dark outside now. The world seemed black and white under the eerie moonlight. L played around with the handlebars on one end of a train section. Looking around, he saw Sayaka. _Strange… wasn't Akemi-san going to talk to her?_

Just then, the voice of a man interrupted his thoughts. "Man, no more excuses out of her. Gotta get all the cash out of her."

L perked.

"Bitches, man." The voice continued. "You give them a little cash and they go and spend it on some stupid shit."

"Yes, really." Another voice agreed. "You just can't treat 'em like people. You gotta treat them like dogs. The bitch would probably like that as well. Just say 'I'm gonna smack you!' and she'll shut her facehole."

"Heck yeah." The first voice snickered. "Be nice for a sec and she'll never want to leave you. Never be too nice to them, god. Like hell some cabaret girl's gonna make the same cash in ten years."

"Stupid cunt whiled like a bitch when I dumped her. I wish I was as good at this shit as you." The second voice admitted. "You gotta give me some tips, er-"

'Hey," a quiet voice interrupted them. "Tell me about whoever you're talking about."

L could have swore he froze.

"What?" the first voice asked irritably.

"The woman you were just talking about. Tell me more about her."

"You a middle schooler?" he asked. "It's not nice to gossip."

"You must mean a lot to that woman. She wants to make you happy. You know that, don't you? But you're comparing her to a dog. You don't thank her. If she stops being useful, you abandon her."

"Who the hell are you? Is she someone you know?" the first man asked, sounding like he was going to resort to something illegal to shut Sayaka up.

"…is this world worth protecting? Tell me why I should fight. Tell me… or… I'll…"

L sighed in defeat. Homura didn't manage to save her. He saw the train slow down and approached Sayaka. "Sorry, she's someone I know." He said to the two men, and ushered her out of the train.

"You're not gonna go with her?" the man asked as the train doors closed. L was still there. "what was up with her? Man, if she's your girlfriend, you need to beat her some more."

"…" L stayed silent as the door closed shut, the final _hiss_ resounding. He then turned to the two men as the train moved.

"…what? You lookin for a fight?" the first man got up. L, not even replying with words, raised his fist.

_THWACK!_

XXXXX

That evening

L admitted it. He was a coward.

He did not want to see Sayaka become a witch.

Back in Homura's apartment, he stared at his screen. He could not stand Sayaka turning into a witch. He could not bear to even imagine the torn faces on the girls. He could not bear to imagine Homura, fighting with the grief she denied she had.

In the end, he could not bear it. He admitted it.

He was a coward.

The door opened and closed behind him. "…Miki Sayaka is no longer in this world." Homura told him.

"…I thought so." L closed his eyes.

"…Sakura Kyouko also took her death hard."

"I figured as much. She did care for her, despite their initial meeting." L said quietly."

"It's unlike you to be so silent." Homura commented.

"…" L did not respond. He was thinking.

Where was Light?

Just then, a horrible thought struck him. He got up quickly, startling Homura. Not even bothering to answer her demands for an explanation, he ran out the door. Through the night, he ran across the city, hoping to find Kyouko.

Eventually, near midnight, he did.

Kyouko lay on the ground. Her soul gem shattered.

A single bullet was lodged in it.

Standing over he body, Light Yagami grinned. He had a pistol in his hand. Looking up slowly, his grin widened. "Good evening, L."

"Yagami-san… I had realized too late…"

"It's unlike you, L." Light grinned. "But it is for the better. Because of it… I was able to become

A savior."

XXXXX

Homura, grabbing the necessary equipment, dashed out the door, transforming as she did so. As she passed the display, the clock changed.

"Two Days until Walpurgis Night."

XXXXX

End of chapter.

Author's note: I'm sorry for a short chapter. I'll be brutally honest. I wanted to get this scene over with so I can get to the next part, which would be episode ten, and then finish this timeline.


	9. Loose Strings

Chapter 9: Loose Strings

XXXXX

"Yagami-kun…" for once, L was not able to find anything to say.

There was a swish heard behind them. Homura had arrived. Her eyes widened at the sight of Kyouko dead, but she hardened herself immediately. But both detectives saw it. Her moment of weakness.

"Yagami-kun, why-" L began

"For the greater good." Light smirked. "L, it's your turn to be left behind. Let me tell you the secret of the Puella Magi… or as you call them, Mahou Shoujo."

XXXXX

At the same time

Three in the morning. Most girls of her age would be peacefully asleep.

Or, they may lay in bed, worrying about a contract.

Or they may be out fighting witches.

Or they may be dead. Like Sayaka.

Madoka could not sleep. It was impossible. She had just faced the fact that her best friend was dead. In the most horrible fate ever.

She wanted to be a champion of justice, but she ended up as… as…

As a witch.

Madoka simply lay there, silently crying, when a figure came through the window. "Can I come in?" Kyubey asked.

"…you were alive. I thought you were dead when Homura shot you."

As always, he took the lack of an answer as the one most favorable to him and climbed into the pink haired girl's room.

"…what Homura-chan said, about turning into a witch… was it all true?"

"Nothing she said needs correcting." Kyubey said

"So… you really made them all into magical girls just to turn them into witches?"

"Don't misunderstand. We bear no ill towards humanity. Everything is for the sake of-"

XXXXX

"-extending the universe's life." Light said, his evil grin still present. "L, have you ever heard of the term "entropy?"

"…the heat death of the universe." L said carefully. "The scientific theory that the universe gradually diminishes in energy as it expands."

"Yes. As expected of you. The universe has a limited source of energy."

XXXX

"That's why we sought an energy source unbound by the laws of thermodynamics." Kyubey explained.

XXXXX

"And what they found was…"

"The magic of the mahou shoujo." L finished for him. Light grinned. "I see you're still sharp.

XXXXX

"Our culture developed technology capable of converting the emotions of sentiment beings into energy. However, our race lacks emotion."

XXXXX

"Therefore, they studied many races throughout the stars, before finally settling on us." Light grinned. "Our souls suffice as a method to reverse entropy."

"…and I presume the most powerful of those are the cycle of hope and despair among maturing females?" L asked.

"Yes." Light said, still in the same mocking tone. "The moment a soul gem bursts into a grief seed, a massive amount of energy is released."

XXXXX

"And my role as an incubator is to harvest that energy." Kyubey said.

XXXXX

"L," Light smirked, "Surely someone like you can understand. You know how overcrowded the universe is with life. Someday, we too will leave this planet and join them. Surely you don't want the universe to be withering on the verge of death by then, do you? No matter how you look at it, it's a profitable trade."

XXXXX

Madoka slowly looked up. "That doesn't make any sense! Are you telling me Mami-san died and Sayaka ended up like that for that reason?" she sobbed. "I can't stand it! That's just… too cruel!"

"But we always form contracts with your consent." Kyubey said simply.

"You were tricking them the whole time!" Madoka yelled.

"Our race lacks the comprehension of "deceit". Why is it that when humans make an error in judgment, they blame it on someone else?"

XXXXX

"…I understand what you are trying to say." L closed his eyes. "But I will not accept it."

"…that is a shame. I was hoping you would." Light gave a last few words. "One more thing. Someday, Kaname Madoka will make a contract. She will become a Puella Magi."

XXXXX

"And you will also be the greatest witch that ever existed." Kyubey said, trotting on Madoka's bed. "If you ever feel like dying for the universe, just call us anytime." And with that, the incubator left.

XXXXX

"…I'm disappointed in you, Yagami-san." L closed his eyes.

"…as am I in you, _Ryuzaki._" Light said with contempt as he disappeared into the shadows. Homura tried to give chase but L held him back. "There are more important matters." He admitted.

"…you're going to let him go?" Homura asked.

"…there is no point in chasing him." L said. Homura turned back to L. "You…"

"…I'm sorry. This was my miss. I overlooked Yagami-kun's differences in our principles of justice."

"…just what are you?" Homura asked.

"…I told you. I am L."

"Not only that." Homura was almost yelling by now. "You can read runes not even Mahou shoujo can. You can solve everything easily. You know everything, even before you find out for yourself! And I... I've… I've met you before." Homura looked down.

"What?" L peered.

"…L. I promised to you that if you win the bet, I would reveal who I am. The time has come. Follow me." She led him back to her apartment. Once inside, she held out her soul gem. "Take it."

L cautiously took the object, placing it in his palm. Suddenly, the world around him whirled. He felt like he was being lifted in the air.

For the first time, he screamed.

XXXXX

It did not take all of L's mental capacity to figure out something was seriously wrong with what was happening.

_"Alright," an eccentric teacher said to a nervous student, "Try introducing yourself to the class."_

The girl was nervous. She was fidgeting. She wore glasses and had long black hair in two pigtails.

_"Um… I'm Akemi… Homura… I… um… I hope to get along…"_

The class all looked at the new transfer student. L took a moment to figure out what was happening. Evidently, they couldn't see nor feel him, and he couldn't make an impact on objects. He was simply an observer.

_"Akemi-san was hospitalized for half a year due to heart problems. It's been a while since she's been to school. Please help her out, everyone." The teacher said. _

The next few days passed like a blur. The only thing L needed was sugar. But he found it all very intriguing. The other Akemi Homura. The one behind the mask.

But what was this anyways? An alternate timeline?

Everything seemed fine. Homura had met Madoka, who was apparently already a Puella Magi and was working with Mami. They worked together and saved Homura from a witch named Izabel. Sayaka seemed entirely out of the picture.

Then came Walpurgis Night.

Where Mami and Madoka died.

L could only watch quietly as Homura made her wish. To protect Madoka. He knew it already, but to actually see it happen was a whole different matter.

"That night", a cold voice said into L's ear, "I became a mahou shoujo."

L turned. The present day Homura was with him.

"Your memories, I presume?" L said, still watching the scene where the former Homura made her wish.

Then, time whirled.

XXXXX

"Time travel. An interesting ability."

L watched as the Homura in the memories, under the eye of Mami, demonstrated her combat capabilities.

Armed with a golf club.

"It seems even you had rough times during the beginning." L noted as the Homura in the memories clumsily bashed a practice target.

"Forget that portion." The present day Homura turned away, apparently embarrassed by her own memories.

It seemed all was well. Homura, Madoka and Mami worked together perfectly, defeating witches.

Nothing seemed to be able to go wrong.

Until Walpurgis Night.

This time, they managed to beat it. But Mami died. And Madoka was…

A witch.

"That night, I found out Kyubey had been deceiving us." Homura said to L. "I tried to warn them.

XXXXX

_"You know," Sayaka said, "What's the point of Kyubey making such a lie?"_

The third timeline. L could see it. No one believed her.

_"In any case, I'm against teaming up with you." Sayaka sighed. "Mami-san and Madoka have firearms, so they're fine, but I wish you'll stop it with the sudden explosions. I don't know how many times I nearly got caught up in them."_

_ "Akemi-san," Mami tried to make a compromise, "Do you have anything other than explosives?"_

_ "Umm… I'll take a look at it."_

A few days later, the results of her pilfering were demonstrated.

Against Octavia.

Against a witch-turned Sayaka.

Naturally, they beat the witch. It was four on one. Kyouko had turned up to help.

But they couldn't _save_ her.

…Apparently, Mami didn't think they were savable either. She killed Kyouko in a fit of madness and tried to kill Homura.

She didn't.

Madoka killed Mami instead.

"…I knew there was stress building up in her." L muttered as he was forced to watch the whole thing.

Homura and Madoka were the only ones left. And they promised. Promised to try their best for Walpurgis Night.

"Now, look here." Homura turned L's attention away from the two departing girls.

L did a double take.

It was _him._

In more specific words, L stepped onto the station.

But L was here. There couldn't be two of him. He could only find one conclusion.

The "other" L was from the memory as well.

"I'm going to take a look." L noted. He watched his former self pick something up.

Sayaka's grief seed.

Pocketing it, the L from the memories turned to leave. L followed him. All the way back to his home.

Walking through the wall, L peered at what his past self wrote.

"Rune deciphering…" L looked. It appeared that the reason he was able to read the runes…

Was because he had solved them. They were based off the English alphabet.

The L from the memories had obviously followed the same mindset L would have followed had he not known the runes. He had guessed at possible relationships to German, due to references to Faust of all things in the labyrinths. But instead, he had managed to relate them to English.

But if this was in another timeline…

Why did that memory carry over to him now?

Deciding to think about it later, he observed his former self. If he remembered correctly, Walpurgis Night was in two days.

Catching up with his past self, he observed his conversation.

With Madoka.

There was another time skip. It had been after school. Apparently, even on other timelines, L had followed the basic idea of taking a role as a teacher.

_"Kaname-san, I have a request." The L from the memories said. "I know for a fact that within a few days, Walpurgis Night will come to Mitakihara. I know that if you and Homura should fail, time will reset." _

"_Ryu-Ryuzaki-sensei! But why do you…"_

"_I wish I had time to explain." L sighed. "But please. In case time does reset, I want you to reinforce my memories. I don't want to forget."_

"_But… what should I do? I have to save my magic for tomorrow…"_

_L mused. "The simplest one would be to memorize something it took me a long while to figure out… Kaname-san, please reinforce the memories of the rune translations."_

"_Runes?" Madoka was confused for a bit, then it hit her. "You mean… the witch language? You learned to read them?"_

"_After a while." L nodded. Madoka gulped nervously. "Okay… here I go…" she tapped her soul gem on L's forehead. A quick bright light and it was all over._

_ "Thank you. Now, please take this, Kaname-san." The L from the memory said to Madoka as he handed her Sayaka's grief seed. Madoka tried to protest. "Why-"_

_ "…just in case." The L from the memories turned and left. _

And then came Walpurgis Night.

They beat it.

At a cost.

Their soul gems were pitch black.

They lay on the crumbled ground. A bittersweet victory.

"_So… this is the end for us too." Madoka lay on the ground._

_ Homura closed her eyes. "Any grief seeds?" _

_ Madoka shook her head slowly. _

_ "I see…" Homura smiled sadly. "So, how about we become monsters together… and turn this world upside down? So that…. Nothing bad… or sad… would remain… destroy, destroy, and destroy it all. Wouldn't that be just fine?"_

_ Madoka turned. In her palm was the gift from L._

_ Sayaka's grief seed._

_ Smiling sadly, she placed it on Homura's soul gem._

_ Homura, startled, turned._

_ "That was a lie." Madoka said. "I had just one."_

_ "That's- why me?"_

_ "Because there's something only you can do. Homura, you can go back to the past, right? You can change history so it wouldn't end like this, right? Can you save me before I become tricked by Kyubey?"_

_ Homura grasped her hand. "I promise! I will definitely save you! No matter how many times I repeat it… I will protect you!"_

_ Madoka gave a relieved smile. "I'm glad…"_

_ There was another sound from the soul gem, and Madoka gasped in pain as Homura panicked._

_ "One… more thing…" Madoka smiled weakly. "I… don't want to become a witch. Sure, there were bad things; miserable things. But there are also a lot of things I still… want to protect…"_

_ "Madoka!" Homura gasped, now reaching desperation._

_ Madoka was struggling to speak now. "Homura-chan… that's the first time you said my name… I'm so happy…"_

_ Crying, Homura transformed. Taking out a revolver from the shield, she aimed it at Madoka's soul gem._

_ A scream, and a bang._

And L was forced to watch it all. For the last time, the scene disappeared in a whirr of time.

XXXXX

L blinked. He was back in Homura's apartment. "Are we done?"

"Yes. You're back in present time." Homura nodded. "Since then, I've been running through this endless maze, trying to find the only exit out. But each time, there was another factor that kept changing randomly." She turned to L. "You."

"…I see." L nodded. "I think I also understand why I can read runes. And why I was able to see Kyubey. The presence of magic that was designed to last through time loops must have done it."

_…and the night Siren attacked; the presence of magic in my mind must have saved my sanity as well. Talk about being blessed by magic._

But L noticed something through the timelines. Something not even Homura noticed.

Deciding to give the matter careful consideration, he turned back to Homura. "Well, what do you intend to do now?"

"…Walpurgis Night is in less than two weeks. We will take time preparing."

"Rather, you will." L corrected as Watari pulled over in a truck outside the apartment, carrying a mountain of files. "…I have loose strings to tie.

XXXXX

April 25.

"The body of Miki Sayaka, second year at Mitakihara Middle School, has been found dead in a hotel room. Police are investigating the case as both an accident and a crime…"

L was not listening. Instead, he was focused in his conversation with the CIA. Around him, stacks of files were strewn around.

"The man known as Tim Carter has been trading with underground mafias for seven years. He meets with them in Moscow once a month for an arms trade."

"50 AK-47s. When is the next trade?"

"Next Saturday." L replied.

Closing the link, he threw the file away and opened the next one.

"This is regarding the death of Princess Joan. I have evidence that the death was an assassination, not an accident" he spoke.

"Thank you, L. When will you send the evidence?" the voice of a European intelligence officer asked.

"I will send it now." L muttered. Pressing the Enter Key, he picked up the file and threw it away.

Picking up a pocky stick, he began reading the next file.

XXXXX

April 28

The stack was growing considerably smaller. L only had a few more cases to go.

"The man kills every Saturday. He has a mental condition that has him hallucinating humans are out to kill him. His next target area will be a park." He told a member of the RCMP.

"Do you have a description of the man?"

"Sending." L hit the enter key. Throwing the file again, he opened the next one. Reading, he turned. "…Akemi-san, I would like a word with you."

"What?" Homura was taking the time to replenish her calories through the consumption of microwave food.

"Are you sure it's wise to leave Sayaka's witch form outside like that?"

"…even witches will become silent when Walpurgis approaches." Homura said.

XXXXX

April 30, noon.

Heavy rain pounded on the apartment as L, biting on a pocky stick, conversed with a representative of MI5.

"Jack Seylon. He had been acting as a double agent, feeding the mafia with information regarding MI5 activities against them. He had also been stealing funds from the government and rerouting them through a system of bank accounts towards the Mafia. I will send you a detailed list of the bank accounts."

"…Very well. When will he rendezvous next?"

"He meets with a leading member of the Mafia at a bar in East London. After that, they take him to their hideout for detailed questioning. I do not know their location, but I trust MI5 to be able to handle that on their own."

He cut the link and threw the file away. The area around him was now empty. "Shall we get going?" He asked Homura, who had been preparing herself for this.

"…yes." She nodded. "remember… I do not expect you to be able to stop Yagami-sensei."

"That's a very assuring statement." He muttered as they walked into the rain together.

And for once, not even L knew what was waiting for them.

But he did know one thing.

He was no longer exploring this world. He was fighting.

And he was fighting to win.

Against Kyubey.

XXXXX

_Flashback _

_ L frowned as he viewed the sent video of Kamijou Kyousuke's operation. Everything was going routinely. Until 11:05._

_ Pausing, he peered. They had just made an incision into the wrist when it happened. The doctor made an error. He cut off the nerves, damaging them beyond repair. _

_ Instantly, the entire operating room went into a frenzy. L mused. The doctor was now flailing, fighting the attempts to restrain him. Order was lost. But he paused again. A weird object on the doctor's skin caught his eye._

_ He zoomed. And frowned. _

_ A witch's kiss. _

_Moving around the scene some more, he caught sight of something on a mirror. He zoomed into that._

_ And he frowned again. _

_ Projected in the mirror were two pink round eyes on a fluffy white face. It was smiling._

_ It was then that L felt a twang of anger. Kyubey was manipulating everything from behind the scenes._

_ He found it. Hard Evidence. _

XXXXX

WALPURGIS NIGHT/ WALPURGINACHT APPROACHING: 1:07 hours.

XXXXX

Author's note: Alright people. For those of you still with me, I'd like to say thank you to all. The next chapter is the Timeline Finale, and then we have our reset. The fic is not gonna be over. Not for a LONG time.


	10. One last deduction

Author's Note: Let's wrap this timeline up, and we'll get to the one where L will tear everything apart

Chapter 10

One Last Deduction

"Can I ask one thing?" Homura asked as they walked to their destination. "Why did you stop me from going after Light?"

"...there was no point in doing so." L replied simply. "Kyubey's plan is to coerce Madoka into making a contract. As you mentioned, Walpurgisnacht requires two to fight at once. Therefore, he would not need to kill again."

"...I don't understand. Why did Kyubey coerce Sayaka into a contract-"

"To make sure she doesn't make a contract now." L explained. "If she made a contract on this date, then he feared the possibility of you two defeating Walpurgisnacht together."

"Then why didn't he just get Light to kill her?"

"He won't be able to. The only reason he was able to kill Kyouko was because he had the element of surprise. Once word got out, there was no way they would let Yagami-kun even near them." L closed his eyes. "Alright." he looked up at a large foreboding tree that towered over the ruins of the town. "Good luck."

"You too." Homura nodded and the two went separate ways.

L did not find the inside of the tree to be so difficult to navigate. It seemed like a labyrinth of passageways and black and white staircases, but he managed to find his way.

Especially with the exit signs telling him where to go.

His footsteps echoing as he walked, L took out a package. Inside was a bunch of poky sticks. Placing one in his mouth, he walked.

A long while later, he arrived at his destination. The top of the tree.

He was not alone.

"Ryu-Ryuzaki-sensei?" A scared voice asked. L turned. He knew it.

Madoka and Light were there.

"Good afternoon, Yagami-san. Although it would be impossible to tell the time in this situation." L muttered.

Light turned around. "L. You're too late."

"Late for?"

"Don't pretend you don't know. Kaname Madoka is going to make a contract."

"Is that so." L muttered. He looked over at the scared girl. "...I wish I can say everything is going to be alright, but I hate to lie."

"Oh? Isn't that an ironic statement." Light sneered. "You've been lying the entire time. Throughout your entire time as L."

"...that's true." L said. He looked up in the sky. Ruined buildings floated up above. He wondered whether they were conjured by the witch herself or actually brought up by her power. "...you accept this scene before you?"

"Mitakihara is nothing but one town out of an universe. Of course. It as the best deal possible." Light grinned.

L turned. The lone image of Homura standing on the top of the building filled his mind. She was ready. "It's starting."

He saw her leap up into the air, charging at the monstrous witch, only to be pushed back by having an entire building thrown at her.

"She is a fool." Light snickered. "What can she do against inevitability?"

"Only try to stop it." L responded. There was another resounding crash and Homura was down, fallen on one of the buildings.

"Tch. Over already." Light turned around. "Kaname, you know it. If you do not make a contract, then Homura and the town you love will all disappear. You don't want that now, do you?" he grinned, and even Madoka could see the malice behind it. Scared, she tried to take a few steps back.

"What he's saying is right, you know." Kyubey trotted up. "You have the power to stop all of this from happening. All you need to do is to make a contract."

There was a sudden screech and L turned. Walpurgisnacht was no longer attacking Homura. Instead, she attacked what seemed to be nothing.

Until the air shattered, revealing a large, concert hall like labyrinth. From it, obviously angered by the intrusion upon her home, a large knight with a mermaid tail charged out, sword brandished. L could see the runes. "Octavia von Sckendroff."

He then saw it. A sword.

Miki Sayaka held a sword.

He knew it then. Octavia von Sckendroff was the remains of Miki Sayaka.

Only laughing, Walpurgis didn't even look at the inferior witch. Instead, her familiars, what appeared to be shadows of mahou shoujo, rose up and pinned Octavia down. Then, laughing like their master, they proceeded to brutally and painfully slay her, stabbing bit by bit until she no longer moved and exploded, engulfing the familiars.

"Sayaka-chan!" Madoka cried. It appeared she knew too. Perhaps it was the bonds of friendship.

"So, Madoka, what will you do?" Kyubey asked her. "Will you make a contract?"

"Do it." It seemed Light had run out of patience, for he pulled out a gun. "Do it, or I will kill you where you stand. Don't you move, L. I'll kill you too."

"...this isn't right." Madoka began crying. "Yagami-sensei, why are you being like this?"

"For the good of the universe!" he spat. "Now DO IT!"

Madoka sobbed a few more times, then she faced Kyubey straight. "Okay. I'll do it."

_No!_

L turned. Homura was screaming for them to get away. The distraction proved disastrous. One of Walpurgisnacht's attacks knocked her off the building and into the shadows below.

"Very well." Kyubey nodded. "What is your wish?"

"I wish..." Madoka closed her eyes, then opened them again. "...I wish Yagami-sensei was back to the kind person he was!"

Light stopped. "What!"

"Yagami-sensei was supposed to be kind... he cried with us... fought with us... he wanted to protect justice!" Madoka cried. "Him right now... I know that's not the real Yagami-sensei! I want Yagami-sensei to be kind again!"

"Madoka... you!"

Light didn't finish his sentence. L, meanwhile, could only watch as pink light engulfed the area.

"Contract complete. Your wish has surpassed entropy."

XXXXX

It was apparently over. Madoka had transformed and defeated Walpurgisnacht. Light was unconscious. Kyubey, L and Homura stood among the ruins of what used to be Mitakihara City. L did not realize that Walpurgis could cause so much destruction, but he steeled himself. It wasn't over.

Walpurgis was gone. But the world looked like it was about to follow. He frowned.

He thought Homura was stronger than this.

He peered at the girl's soul gem. Homura herself was writhing on the ground, screaming.

_She is a fool._

Light's words resounded in her head. Yes, maybe she was a fool. She had been a fool to contract. She had been a fool to trust Kyubey at the beginning.

And perhaps, even now, she was a fool to have thought she could have saved Madoka. No matter how many times she tried, the same towering witch that used to be Madoka would always be born.

Perhaps it would be easier to just... give up.

Screaming again in frustration, she held her soul gem one last time.

A crack.

And it shattered.

There was a massive explosion, throwing L back. He struggled to see what was going on.

A massive shadow was rising from the remains of Homura's grief seed.

L watched in shock as the shadows clustered around themselves.

Walpurgisnacht rose again from Homura's shadow.

The blue haired detective cursed. It made sense. Walpurgisnacht was born from Homura's despair. Her ability was time travel. That meant that, on some other timeline, Homura also gave into despair.

But it didn't make sense. Walpurgisnacht _was_ the source of despair. The reason why Madoka originally died and time began diverging. So why would it happen now?

He turned to Kyubey, who was only looking satisfied. "This is beyond my quota, but that is a lot of energy. I'd say they would wipe out the planet in, oh, 15 hours."

L cursed his error. There HAD to have been a reason why Walpurgisnacht and Homura were symbolically related. He only watched as the new Walpurgisnacht rose in the air to confront the shadow that used to be Madoka. The ominous laughter sounded throughout the town.

He needed to think.

_Golden strings_

He opened his eyes. His intuition told him that there was something to do with her powers. Why was Homura unable to stop time that day so long ago? When Mami held her down with the rope?

_Wait. Held her down. Could it be..._

He closed his eyes and thought. The last deduction of L.

He opened his eyes.

_The Shield._

There was no other explanation. If her hands were tied in a way she couldn't reach her shield, then her time travelling powers wouldn't activate. That meant the shield was the source. He also saw the shield during timeline changes.

The shield would solve everything. He looked up at Walpurgisnacht. Looked into her gears as she floated upside down, the smile still on her face.

There. At the very tip of the gears.

A sand timer. Much like the one embedded on Homura's shield

He figured. He observed the fact there were connections between Mahou Shoujo and the witch they became. His encounters with Fiona Arkwood and Setsuko Mitsuki, as well as their respective witch forms, told him that.

He began climbing up the tree again. But as he walked, he thought again.

What if he was wrong with what he was about to do?

The plan was too crazy. Too improvised. Not like anything he had done before. All his previous operations were planned, calculated...

and done by other people.

In the worst case scenario, not only could he not be able to save Homura, he also risked releasing Walpurgisnacht into every May 16th.

L closed his eyes and chased those thoughts out. He was L.

He would be right.

And there was no way he would let some measly creature known as Kyubey beat him in a game of manipulation.

Reaching the top, he looked down. Walpurgisnacht, or rather, the witch that was Homura, was still rising.

He took a deep breath.

"What are you going to do?" Kyubey asked.

"...Ending this."

And he jumped.

He stumbled in the air for a few minutes, then caught on to one of the spinning gears. Then, he lost his grip and fell until he caught one of the smaller gears near the end.

Walpurgisnacht was aware of the human that was on it's body by now. In a fit of rage, she summoned a swarm of familiars, all of them hoping to please their master by offering the head of the blue haired intruder.

L carefully climbed. He was almost there. He stretched for the sand timer.

And felt something penetrate his heart.

He looked down. A shadow of a magical girl, one of the witch's familiars, pierced him in the chest with a sword.

Feeling himself losing consciousness, feeling the pain, L let go.

But he would not go out like this. He made one final effort. He didn't even know if he succeeded or not.

But at the last moment, his hand reached the sand timer.

Almost unconsciously, he turned it.

He trusted himself.

For he was L. The world's greatest detective.

There was a click.

As L fell to his death, time reset itself.

XXXXX

ERROR

XXXXX

End of Timeline A

Author's note: Alright. I know it's short. But here's the thing.

THIS IS NOT THE CLIMAX!

In fact, it's technically still rising action. Yes, I know I killed off L. But the fic will still continue. He's dead, but he's not... oh it's just way too difficult to explain. It's just... I think I broke fundamental rules of time travel here xD.


	11. Again

Author's note: Alright. L will be making plans now.

Oh yes. I will admit one thing. The reason why L and Light's hair were blue and red respectively was not to outline their relationship like the trope page said so (Yes I read it. Thank you very much). Instead... I honestly thought they were that colour. I mean... it's all like that in the artwork and the manga is black and white... T_T I'm Sorry!

Oh yes, sorry I have been late. I've been busy with summer school (Yes I am in summer school).

Chapter 11: Again

XXXXX

L woke up with a start. Last he remembered, he was falling to his death.

"What's wrong, L?" A voice asked. Light was sitting across from him.

He took time to configure his surroundings. He was on the bus with Light. It felt _really_ awkward to be in such a peaceful scene, considering the fact that -to him at least- a few moments ago it was the end of the world

He looked out the window. He sighed in relief. The world hadn't been destroyed. Nor had it changed drastically.

Nor had Walpurgisnacht managed to follow him to this date.

He opened his cell phone and checked the date. March 16. Before he and Light entered the school.

He hoped Homura remembered him.

XXXXX

A few days later

"Do you like eggs easy over or hardened, Ryuuzaki-kun!" the eccentric homeroom teacher of Madoka's class asked, glaring intensely into L's eyes.

"Er... can they be eaten with sugar?" L asked, sweat drops running down his head. This scene again.

"Hey hey, Madoka," Sayaka whispered excitedly into Her friend's ear, "The new student teacher, don't you think he's kind of strange?"

"Huh! Uh, well... he's a little different..." she said, eyeing "Ryuuzaki Sensei"'s sloppy dress shirt and dress pants, as well as his ruffled hair.

"He looks like a child." Sayaka whispered back.

"Sayaka!" Madoka replied in a hushed tone, "You can't say that about other-"

"Please remember this, Ryuuzaki-kun!" The teacher's words broke into their conversation. "You should never be picky about what kind of eggs you eat! That goes for the rest of you boys out there as well!" she said, speaking to the class now. "If you grow up to be the kind of guy who would be picky about-"

"In other words," L interrupted, "You were dumped by your boyfriend over the kind of egg you made for him, am I correct?"

The class fell silent. No one and NO one stopped their teacher in the middle of her love rant.

"I... erm... well..." the teacher mumbled. "...we're beginning math now!" she said, trying to change the subject.

L sighed. He went through all this again. He looked around the class.

He saw Akemi Homura.

Their eyes met.

XXXXX

Later that day

"I see we meet again." L commented to Homura. They were talking to each other.

"Yes." She nodded. "I see that something happened. Why can you remember everything this time?"

"I suppose it's because I touched the source of time travel." he told her.

"my shield? You touched it?" she asked.

"..." L remained silent.

"I don't remember you doing so."

"...I think it's best we stop talking about this." L told her. He supposed that it was a matter of shock. Thankfully. She forgot everything that happened before becoming a witch. He supposed it was the shock factor. But that was okay. On top of it all, at least Walpurgis didn't get a free ride to March 16th. That would have been a disaster.

"Anyways," L decided, "What now?"

"...we try again. This time, I will defeat Walpurgis."

L mused. "...good luck."

"Aren't you going to help?"

"I... have my own plans."L muttered. "Oh yes. Akemi-san, please pretend you don't know me."

XXXXX

L made sure he did not miss this scene. To be specific, his meeting with Light at the cafe. He also underwent everything again. Meeting Tomoe Mami. Encountering magic. The talk at Mami's apartment. He made sure all of that happened. Each time, he pretended that magic was a new concept to him, although he did feel foolish having to fake his scream at the first mention of mahou shoujo. The fact that he had his first bite of cake untraumatized made it much better.

And so everything repeated.

Until the warehouse.

XXXXX

"Good luck, Tomoe-san." L waved them goodbye in his aloof manner as he and Light watched the three girls walk into the labyrinth.

It was the same scene. Again, the woman was about to jump. Again, it was decided Light and L should go stop her as Mami and the girls went off to fight the witch. He

"Yagami-san," L said, "Stay here and catch her. I'll go stop her."

He had a plan this time.

_March 25: Go up to stop the woman from committing suicide_

L didn't bother trying to talk her out of it. He just ran and tackled her, dragging her away from the edge. She screamed and squirmed, but L made sure not to let her mouth near his hand. Eventually, she managed to jump, only to land into Light's hands. The shock of actually jumping made her unconscious. Not sure of what to do, Light gently set her down on the ground.

"What now?" Light asked as he gently set the woman on the ground.

"We wait." L nodded.

A few minutes later, the trio of girls emerged. In their hand was a grief seed. As L expected, Mami turned and threw it towards the shadow, only for Homura to catch it.

"I'll give that to you." Mami said with her usual smile. "It can still be used one more time."

Homura only continued to glare at them. That's when L stepped in. "Okay, are you two at odds at each other?" he asked, pretending this was the first time he met Homura in person.

"...we have some differences, Ryuzaki-sensei." Mami explained.

"Have you two tried talking it out?" L suggested. He could feel Homura glaring daggers at him. H was sure her primary thought was 'what are you up to?'. "Surely it would be much more efficient method of protecting this town from... witches if you two joined forces."

"We've tried talking in the past, but it did not work out." Homura cut in. She turned to Madoka and Sayaka. "I will warn you two now. Do not contract with Kyubey." she said coldly, delivering her usual warning to the girls. She turned to Light and L and glared. L figured there was only so much she could guess about what he was up to. In fact, he himself only had a vague idea of what he was trying to accomplish. He was still trying to get it all together.

Giving a mutual assurance of comprehension, L and Homura broke their gaze. Homura turned and left.

XXXXX

It was several hours later; the moon was high in the night sky. L stood at the warehouse wall. Mami, Madoka, Sayaka and Light had all gone home a long time ago.

"Why are you still here?" Homura asked.

"...something I must do." L turned to the wall. He knelt and lay something leaning on the wall. A picture of a serious looking young girl with two blond pigtails.

_Fiona Arkwood..._ L only stared. He stood there and said nothing, as if he was mourning. Perhaps, Homura wondered as she stared into his blank eyes, he was.

Perhaps.

It stayed that way for a few minutes, as L made a final goodbye. Then, taking the folder with her case files in it, transferred all the way from Scotland yard, he held it out in front of him, took out a lighter and burned it.

"If what I saw was true..." he muttered to himself, "I suppose I have one such exit." he mused. "...also, if Homura received her powers from Kyubey, I can only see that he..." he went off, trailing. He looked up at the moon. "...I should hurry."

It was not inconceivable that Kyubey would arrange to have him eliminated by the next reset.

XXXXX

"32 Days Until Walpurgis Night."

XXXXX

Author's note: I'm sorry that it was so short. The primary purpose of this chapter was to tell you all I am alive and well. Also, it sets the stage. Yes, what L did will make a large difference. Very large, in fact.


	12. One Small Detail

Author's note: Yes, I was in a hurry last chapter. Oh yes. Again, the witches Fortuna and Siren do not belong to me. They belong to Abicion.

P.S. Sorry I was so late. I was doing finals. Yes, in the middle of summer. "Summer School" is the biggest oxymoron there is. It feels REALLY awkward to write "July" and "August" on the date of a worksheet.

P.S.S. I do not own Madoka Nor do I own Death Note.

Chapter 12: One Small Detail

XXXXX

That night

"Are you sure about this?" Homura asked L, who was on her doorstep.

"Quite." L nodded. Behind him was an entire truck filled with equipment, computers, case files and the sort. "I only ask for one corner of your space. Just like... last time."

Homura gave the eccentric detective a stare, then turned around. "Do as you like."

L nodded, then moved into her apartment once again.

XXXXX

In a way, everything felt weird. He knew exactly what was going to happen, when it would happen and how people would react. L supposed that it helped that he went through all this before. However, it was still kind of weird, considering he didn't have to _deduce_ any of this. He felt somewhat insulted at the lack of need to deduce anything. Hiding it from Light was the only challenge. The man was sharp.

He then remembered. He needed to do something about Light.

He needed to make sure he didn't go off and assist Kyubey again. He didn't want Light against him again.

Keeping the thought as he sat at his computer, L looked over his list.

_Go up to stop the woman from jumping._

He check marked that on his list. _Done. _For now, it seems Homura didn't understand the implications of what he had just done. Reading over his list, he made sure that nothing was foolproof.

XXXXX

April 3

In all his years as L, this was probably the one time he _prayed_.

Or rather, he was praying to god his idea worked. He didn't believe in religion all that much before, having used his mind to counter any arguments they made at him, but after all the insanity of mahou shoujo, maybe there was a god.

Then again, if there was a god or a goddess, he/she wouldn't let such horrible things happen. Especially to such young people.

It was April 3rd. The day Mami was set to fight Charlotte.

Walking through the cake filled labyrinth, L watched as Homura and Mami confronted each other. Madoka was by his side, watching nervously.

"I will defeat the witch in here." Homura said to Mami. It wasn't a request. It was a statement of 'I'll do it and you can't stop me'.

"I'm afraid I can't leave you to that, Akemi-san." Mami replied. She still had the smile on her face, but L knew she hated Homura as much as Homura was unkind to her.

"Okay, you two, please stop staring at each other." he stepped in between them. "Miki-san and Yagami-san are still at the centre of this labyrinth."

Homura stared at the blue haired detective, as if he had suggested something completely out of the question.

"In fact, I've seen both of you two fight." L held up a finger. "Both of you use firearms. I'm sure you two would use splendidly together."

"Ryuzaki-sensei..." Madoka sighed in relief, glad that she wasn't the only one who realized a truce was best in this situation.

Homura stared at him. For a moment, L wondered if she was going to actually shoot him. Then, Mami gave a huff of admittance. "...I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Homura didn't even speak. She just walked, following the group.

An awkward silence ensued. L bit his lip, staring at the cake as he passed through. He was half tempted to reach out and take one. But he pushed that side into a sad corner of his hand. He needed to focus.

"Um, Mami-san?" Madoka said quietly, breaking L out of his silence.

"Hm?"

"I've... thought about the wish I want to make..."

Homura tensed. She was about to cut in, but L stopped her.

"And?" Mami asked, not noticing L and Homura, "Did you decide it yet?"

"Yes... but you might be angry at what it is."

"Do tell."

"Well... I've never had anything I could say I was good at... or something that people respected me for. I thought I would just stay like this and just pull everyone back, but when I met you, you showed me how to fight to save people, and that I could do the same thing... Those were the happiest words I heard. That's why, I feel like I could have my wish granted simply by being a Mahou shoujo. To be able to help people and to be able to be proud of that... I feel like that could be my dream..."

L turned to Homura. He could tell that she was ready to interrupt. But Mami beat her to it. "It won't be easy. You can get hurt, and you won't even have time to have fun or date a guy."

Homura looked up.

L turned and mind-spoke to Homura. _...Mami is not as foolish as you think. She understands that her survival should take precedence over... being a hero._

Homura turned to him. Then, sighed and closed her eyes. _I... did not know._

_ ...Through the many times you've met her... you have never asked her what her wish was, did you?_

_ No. I always assumed she was the kind who make a wish to help people._

L sighed. _That may be a problem you have. You judge people too soon. Her wish was... to be saved during a massive traffic accident. _

Homura looked at Mami in a strange new way, something like respect that was seen when she was still the scared girl who's life was saved from a witch by Madoka and Mami, almost decades worth of time ago.

_She's not as naive as you think. That's why, I think you two should just try and talk it over._

Homura closed her eyes. With a sigh of admittance, Homura spoke.

"She's right." she spoke to Madoka, continuing Mami's warning. "This job is not something to be taken lightly. It goes beyond just the physical dangers. You have to deal with the stress, the impact it could have on your life... the fact you can struggle and know that you will never have anyone to comfort you over it..."

"Homura-chan... Mami-san..." Madoka faltered.

"There's nothing good about being a Mahou Shoujo." Mami continued. "Forcing myself to pretend everything's fine, and even if I'm afraid or having a hard time, I don't have anyone to confide in... All I can do is cry alone."

"That's not true, Tomoe Mami." Ryuzaki cut in. "You have us. You have Miki-san and Yagami-kun up ahead. You also have Akemi-san here." The black haired girl turned and looked at L with a confused look on her face. L went on. "The two of you both know how it feels to suffer alone, being unable to tell anyone about what you are going through. But you two don't have to be alone. You have friends and comrades."

"Ryuzaki-sensei..." Mami sighed, but everyone could catch the smile on her face. "I suppose. I'd be happy to work with you, Akemi-san. Just don't drag me down."

"That's what I should be saying." Homura glared. But the meaning behind the taunt was that she too accepted what was at least a temporary truce.

"...Time is of the essence. Let's hurry." Mami turned to face the direction of the path, but L saw, in the air, a single teardrop of joy.

It made him feel just a little guilty for what he had planned.

Just a little.

Suddenly, Kyubey's voice interrupted the newly formed silence. _Everyone, hurry! The grief seed started moving!_

"On it." At the same time, both Mami and Homura transformed into their respective mahou shoujo forms. Then, right up in front of them, what appeared to be a giant wall of cake appeared, with limbed candy marching up and down.

"I guess we'll be having a trial run of our partnership quite early." Mami commented casually as both girls leaped and got to work.

If Mami's slaughter during the previous timeline looked impressive, it was no contest to what _two_ rifle wielding mahou shoujo could do together. The familiars were disappearing faster than L could mutter "sweet".

At the end, the two girls were left standing, each facing a single familiar. As if they knew what the other was thinking-although L speculated they might have actually known- The two girls twirled and faced each other, holding up a rifle. Mami had her ornate musket, and Homura had a sniper rifle. Each held it out with one hand, as if they were about to shoot each other.

*BOOM*

The shots were exactly at the same time, and both familiars were blown away by the Mahou Shoujo on the other side of the circle.

"Impressive, Akemi-san." Mami said with her usual smile. "However, I think my shot went faster."

"Nonsense." She replied in her usual cold tone as both girls tucked away their weapons. "Mine hit the ground before you did."

"Umm..." Madoka said nervously. "We... have to hurry."

The two girls blinked, then turned to walk, while L followed them with a bemused look on his face. _Somehow, those two remind me of Near and Mello. They hate each other-well, Mello hates Near- but they work perfectly together._

With that in mind, they stepped into the witch's chamber.

"Ryuzaki!" Light came up to greet them. "I think Tomoe's just in time." He then noticed Homura. "...they're working together?"

"Yes." L nodded. "I wouldn't say they've resolved their differences quite yet, but they're working on it."

"Mami and Homura... working together?" Sayaka muttered in amazement. L wasn't sure whether she was amazed by the prospect of two magical girls working together or the prospect that Homura wasn't a complete jerk.

"Do you have a plan?" Mami asked, still facing the doll like witch.

"Do we need one?" Homura offered as an answer With that, both girls leaped.

It was quite brutal. It looked like two demented girls tearing apart a doll, if one looked at it from a sickly point of view. After shooting holes and tossing the witch into the wall, Homura leaped back to let Mami finish the job.

"Tiro... Finale!"

The golden light pierced Charlotte. But like last time, the wires wrapped themselves around the doll, forcing out the black worm that L knew was the main body.

Suddenly, he heard a grunt. To his horror, the witch's strings had also risen up from the ground, trapping Homura. He knew that position. The kind that rendered her unable to access her shield.

Leaving Mami wide open.

"RYUZAKI!" Light yelled, his service pistol out. L snapped out of the momentary shock and ran. Just like last time.

Light grit his teeth, took aim and fired. The bullet flew, deadly and fast-right towards the right eye of the worm, not harming it but making it blink in annoyance-

-giving L just enough time to tackle Mami out of the worm's trajectory. With a resounding crash, the worm that was Charlotte looked up in confusion.

"Tomoe-san! Snap out of it!" L shook her violently. After a moment, she suddenly came to. "What-"

"You were in shock." L explained. He looked at the worm, which was staring at the two and probably thinking something along the lines of 'food!'.

Light, meanwhile, procured a pocket knife and tried to cut through the ribbons holding Homura. "It's no good!" he yelled. "They won't cut!"

Mami stood up shakily, still somewhat in shock over her near death experience. "It's alright..." she lied. "This isn't the first close call I've had... although..."

She shook her head and stared defiantly at the worm. She couldn't bear to show weakness. Not with Homura tied up-literally- and four lives depending on her.

"Be careful." L warned her. "Even if you kill one body, more will come out of it's mouth. There's seven of them in total."

"Thank you." She nodded, then leaped up onto one of the posts. For a few moments, she only stared as the worm rose, it's hungry eyes fixed on her. Then, nearing the top of the labyrinth, it leaped straight down, aiming to eat her this time.

This time, however, Mami was ready. She untied her ribbon with one pull and formed her giant weapon. This time, however, something was different. It seemed like pure determination.

"Tiro..."

The worm's eyes widened. All it's interior structures were exposed. If that hit-

"FINALE!"

The giant light engulfed the worm. It didn't just penetrate it. It engulfed it.

_Ingenious._ L thought. _By engulfing it, she would hit all of the worms waiting inside at the same time._

There was a sound, and Homura landed, the ribbons no longer there. After a few moments, the labyrinth disappeared, leaving them in an afternoon area of the hospital.

"Well..." L muttered. "...I think you two did great."

Mami and Homura gave each other a weird stare, then Mami smiled. "How about it?"

"...I guess it wouldn't hurt to do this together a bit more."

"Isn't this great, Sayaka-chan?" Madoka looked at her friend happily. "They're working together now."

Again, this happy scene only made L a little more guilty.

XXXXX

The Next Day, early morning

The Hospital

Operation Ward

Kyubey didn't know what happened. That witch should have killed Mami. It was one of the carefully calculated emotional hits that would drive Madoka into a contract.

It then shook it's head. It was alright. The intergalactic federation still had contingency plans. And worst comes to worst, they could always find more planets to harvest energy from, even if they weren't as efficient. For now, it just needed to concentrate on it's task.

The cute creature peered up the window. Yes, the doctors were operating on the Kamijou boy. Alright. He was wide open.

He was about to plant a black object onto the wall when someone interrupted him.

"Why hello there. Fancy meeting you here, Kyubey." L came out of the shadows. The creature stopped, and the two confronted each other.

And L steeled himself, not physically, but mentally, for what he was about to do.

XXXXX

28 Days Until Walpurgis Night

XXXXX

End of Chapter

Author's note: alright. Reviews are greatly appreciated.

P.S. Try to find out what L is planning xD Although I almost guarantee you all... you will not see it. Okay, you might.


	13. For Someone Else

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Love, Justice and everything synonymous with Sailor Moon. Thank you for creating a genre that was so easy for Gen Urobochi to stealthily deconstruct.

I do not own Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, nor would it be half as epic if I did. I do not own Death Note either.

Chapter 13:

For Someone else

XXXXXX

April 4th

"Therefore, if you transfer the X over to the left..." Light explained to his class.

For everyone else aware of magic, the world was in it's right place. They recently beat a tough witch, Tomoe Mami overcame a major emotional obstacle and Homura and Mami were working together. What more could they want?

Sure, there were still witches. And inside, Sayaka was worried about Kyousuke. His operation was today. Sure, it was supposed to be easy, but she couldn't shake off the dreadful feeling that something was going to go wrong. But then again, she was just being worried. No point on being that worried. It was procedural. Soon, she would hear him play the violin again.

L noticed this. And again, he felt guilty.

But he was L. He forced the feeling down.

XXXXX

That afternoon

"...and that concludes our class today." the eccentric teacher waved the kids goodbye. "And remember, all you boys out there... don't be picky about cream puffs!"

L, Madoka and Sayaka sighed. Looks like it didn't work. Dumped again.

As L stacked his files, he thought about somethings other than the case. Or rather, it can't be called that. This would never see the light of the day in a court, nor in any police file. This would remain a secret between him, Light, Kyubey and the girls forever.

But as he took his mind off the case, he thought about himself. He thought of being a teacher. It wasn't that bad of a concept. Even if he needed to wear uncomfortable leather bags they called "shoes". It felt good to be on the sending end of information, even if it didn't deal with international terrorists, giant mafia gangs, espionage or even the occasional missing nuclear material that "threatened the stability of world peace"*.

He considered it.

But in the end, he knew that the road was not for him.

A few minutes later-L was a little late because of extra work teachers had to do- He, Madoka, Homura and Mami were clustered around her triangular glass table in her apartment. L remembered that a timeline ago, Mami was already dead. It felt... different this time. Almost bordering on awkward.

"So?" Homura didn't even touch her tea. "Why did you want us to gather?" her question was directed at L.

"To talk." He replied.

"Talk?"

"Yes. Talking builds up teamwork, a sense of unity, comradeship, you name it." he was just thinking they should be glad he didn't make them march like soldiers together. According to training manuals and wolves in Sergeant's clothing, that built up teamwork too. He supposed it was the sense of having to step together with your teammates-

L shook his head. His mind was getting off topic. Not good. He needed to focus. Not to mention, he's never let his thoughts just go on and on like that.

"..." The apartment fell into silence. L sighed. This wasn't working. As much as he managed to get by in the classroom, he wasn't good at dealing with kids. He had hoped Madoka would be able to help him somehow. After all, Mami was respectful to her. And Homura... well, she's going through an endless maze of time for her. What more could he say?

However, the girl who Homura was going through an endless maze of time for just sat there. Even she realized the atmosphere was rather awkward.

So much for that. Just then, L's phone rang. He picked it up. "Yes, this is Ryuzaki... yes... yes..." he got up and left the room, still talking. A few minutes later, he walked back in. "sorry about that."

There was only more awkward silence, broken only by the sound of L's fork hitting the plate through cake. Which made the three girls almost glad that their soul gem reacted to something. Almost.

"There's a witch." Mami pointed out the obvious. "That way." She pointed north.

"Your powers must be falling apart. It's coming from the other way." Homura looked south. There was a quiet debate about which girl's magical powers were malfunctioning when Madoka pointed out a logical explanation.

"Umm..." She sounded rather nervous. "I don't know if it's possible, but maybe there are two witches out and about..."

The girls stared. Then realized she was right. After a hastily said wish of luck, both girls transformed and chased their respective prey. Before they left, they suggested that Madoka go home as soon as possible. It wouldn't be safe with two witches out and about.

As the two walked through the city, Madoka spoke up. "Um, Ryuzaki-sensei?"

"Yes?"

"I just want to say... I think it's a good thing you tried to bring those two together. I mean, they're both suffering, and if they have each other, than maybe..."

"I understand what you're saying, Kaname-san." L assured her. He was aware that if Mello were here, he would be lamenting on the irony of L trying to get people to be social. Sighing, he looked around. They were walking through a store plaza with decorations for some sort of festival.

Suddenly, speakerphones blared on throughout the plaza. From it, a catch J-pop song blared out.

"_Shiroi hane ga hora mieru desho?  
>Anata wo mitsumete'ru me mo<br>Amai koe mo yasashii te mo  
>Anata dake no tame ni iru hazu<br>Sugoku chikai tokoro kara mamotte-iru no yo"_

L remembered. Siren. Quickly, he removed two earplugs and gave them to Madoka. He himself was fine. Soon the song was over. But the crisis was just beginning.

"Ryu-ryuzaki sensei! Over there!" Madoka pointed at a large group of people who had a blank look on their face. They were all headed to an unknown destination. All of them had a witch's kiss.

"We should hurry. The earliest of them left by the introduction chorus. We need to follow them." L told her. The two ran past the brainwashed people, eventually arriving at an old abandoned concert stage. Just like last time. Madoka tapped his shoulder. "Ryuzaki-sensei," Madoka said, "I think they're doing something over there."

Trying to act like this was all new to him, he looked at what the people were preparing on the stage. "…this may not be good. "

"What do you mean?" Madoka asked.

"…See that bucket?" L pointed over to one man dragging a bucket filled with substance. "…I can sense the smell. That's…"

"That's bleach…" Madoka said. "What' are they doing?"

L looked over at some of the other people. One of them had detergent. As he suspected. "They're going to mix bleach with detergent."

"Um… is that bad?" Madoka asked.

L sighed, a strange feat in this situation. "Bleach has Hydrochloric acid inside. Detergent seems to have a small trace of potassium inside if they mix, they'll create Chlorine gas. If that get's in the air… we're all going to end up in the next world."

"We-we have to stop them!" Madoka shouted.

"…We need a plan-"

Madoka didn't listen. Just like last time. L sighed, kind of understanding why Homura could get so frustrated with Madoka. Acting out of desperation, she ran towards the crowd of people and grabbed the bucket out of their hands. Running towards a window in the stage, she threw the bucket out the window.

L could immediately tell the people were not so happy with the fact Madoka saved their life. Then again, if they weren't happy last time, there should be no reason for them to be any different this time. Immediately, they turned and began approaching her, their faces definitely not those of gratitude. Looking around, he found the door they escaped through last time. "Kaname-san! This way!" he yelled. Madoka turned and quickly ran. They entered, and L shut the door, holding it tight.

"Wh-what now?" Madoka asked, seeing they were at a dead end.

L turned around. As he turned, the area around him changed. The dark room started to grow brighter, but he was sure this was not a human space. The scene around them grew into some kind of distorted concert stage, with disfigured crowds rising from the ground an charging toward them like zombies. On what appeared to be the stage, a ballerina like figure appeared, although L could tell that was no human. Behind it, on giant letters on the wall behind the stage, runes appeared. This time, L read it clearly. "Siren."

"Kaname-san," he said, "We should run."

"Shouldn't we just wait for Homura-chan or Mami-san to come?"

"I don't think they will." L muttered. "Do you know which way this is from her apartment? It's East."

"Ah!" Madoka gasped. That meant the two girls were fighting different witches. There were _three _witches here.

"We need to hold out as long as possible." L said to her. "Hopefully, they'll detect the witch here."

They ran. Just kept running. Madoka was only just able to keep up. Her body screamed it was at it's limit. But she did not stop. If she stopped, she would die.

She ran, the blue haired detective pulling her.

She ran. Just ran.

Then, she tripped.

L turned. A zombie familiar was just about to grab her-

Swish

A bolt of blue shot through the familiar, disintegrating it and five others. When the dust settled, a single blue haired mahou shoujo with a white cape was seen.

"Sa-Sayaka-chan!" Madoka was shocked. L, however, was not.

"Hah!" With a battle cry, Sayaka slashed through the remaining familiars. Soon, on the centre stage, the witch known as Siren arose, leaping and dancing in it's twisted grace. With a battle cry, Sayaka grabbed her sword and swung, catching the ballerina in the middle of a leap. Split in half, the remains of the witch shrieked as she and the familiars disappeared. In the end, L, Madoka and Sayaka watched the labyrinth dissolve, returning to the human concert stage.

"Sa-Sayaka-chan..."

"Hm?" Sayaka turned. "Oh, don't worry about it. I did pretty well that time, didn't I?" she dismissed Madoka's feelings of worry with a smile and a chuckle. Suddenly there was noise near a window.

"I thought we would be too late," Mami said as she came in, "but looks like you were saved."

Sayaka gave a nervous chuckle. "So, um... how did I do?"

"You did great for a beginner." Mami assured her. Then, Homura arrived, staying silent as usual. "Sa-Sayaka-chan, why?" Madoka finally got the courage to ask.

"Hm? Oh." Her look turned serious. "I had to. I made my wish."

XXXXX

At the same time

"What's this?" Kyouko muttered angrily as she bit into a pocky stick, watching the scene. "I thought that since you told me Mami was dead, that this area would be ripe for picking, but not only is she alive, she's working with two other magical girls. What's the meaning of this?" She demanded.

"I don't know either." Kyubey replied.

"What? Didn't you see her die?"

The white creature stayed silent.

"...no matter. If that's the case, I can just beat all three of them down." Kyouko gave a wolfish grin, the pocky still in her mouth. "Shouldn't be too hard."

XXXXX

_A few hours ago_

_A quiet section of Mami's apartment._

_ "Yagami-san," L spoke at the phone, "What is it?"_

_ "L, something bad's happened. Kamijou Kyousuke's operation was a failure."_

_ L was silent for a moment. "Where is Miki-san?"_

_ "That's the thing." Light said. "I'm at the hospital, and I can't find her anywhere!"_

_ "Understood. Please keep looking for her." L nodded and ended the call._

_Again, the overwhelming feeling of guilt threatened to overtake him, but he held it down._

XXXXX

"27 days until Walpurgis Night

XXXXX

End of Chapter 13

*As Quoted from Seto Gozaburo, From YGOTAS (Yugioh the abridged series) Created by Little Kuriboh.

Author's note: Again, sorry for a short chapter. I had a particularly hard time writing this chapter. Also, I do not own the witch "Siren." She belongs to Abicion. The insert song is "Ai no Tenshi" from Perfect blue. Go to Abicion's "Homura's Encyclopedia of Witches" and see why I chose that particular song. Come on, I dare you. XD

Lastly, reviews are greatly appreciated.


	14. Have we met before?

Author's note: School is starting up again. I am depressed. You won't like me when I get depressed. My stories all take a depressing turn. You all know what THAT means in Madoka.

Chapter 14:

Have we met before?

Over the following few days, events developed in ways Homura didn't think possible. Out of L's insistence, she accepted the fact Sayaka became a mahou shoujo and convinced her to accept her in their group. The three of them were now officially a team, with L hinting at methods in which grief seeds could be shared. To L, it was the ultimate mathematics problem; devising a system in which girls would continue to slay witches, without using up too much of their powers and so that each had enough to maintain their humanity (although Mami and Sayaka were unaware of that part). Last of all, he needed to make sure Sayaka was satisfied, fighting enough witches to keep the town safe. In his mind, it was all just one giant math problem.

However, as he lived through the few days in which peace seemed to settle, he found his mind strangely diverted to a certain red haired girl. He wondered when he would next see her.

XXXXX

April 16 (Sat)  
>Early Morning<p>

L sighed as another day of class began. Beside him, the homeroom teacher was sighing. Apparently, it hadn't worked this time either. L silently wished her luck, praying that her next attempt at boyfriend finding would be a bit more successful-

"Say, Ryuzaki-kun," the teacher asked in an innocent voice, "are you busy this weekend?"

...okay, maybe the attempt after this, he corrected.

"Oh yes," she said, apparently not flustered by the failure, "We have a new student joining us today."

L perked. This didn't happen last time.

They sat in silence, each working on teacher related work for a few more minutes, until finally the students started trickling in. When homeroom started, the teacher stood up. "A-hem. I have a very important matter to discuss with you all today." she gave her students a serious look. "When you have two identical drinks and you're handing one to another person, do you want it to be handed over from the left hand or the right hand? Ryuzaki-sensei! Answer please!"

_Me again?_ He wondered. "Umm... does it matter?"

"No, it does not!" The teacher nodded smartly. "Therefore, you should not worry about such things! If a woman is good, then it should not matter..." and on and on she babbled.

_Looks like she was dumped again..._ The collective thoughts of Sayaka, Madoka and L resounded through mind-talk. Homura didn't look like she cared.

"A-hem!" The teacher cleared her throat. "Oh, by the way, we have a new transfer student coming today."

_That's the side topic!_ Everyone wondered.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and L and Homura received a shock. The transfer student, a female, walked in boldly. She was wearing the Mitakihara student uniform, but L could tell she felt uncomfortable wearing it. She also had red hair, and had a pocky stick in her mouth.

"The name is Sakura Kyouko. Just call me Kyouko." the girl said with a wolfish grin. "My favourite thing is food. My hobby is eating. Hope to know you all."

XXXXX

"Has such an event happened before?"

"Never."

It was after school. L and Homura were holding an emergency discussion in the rooftop. "The only event similar to this was when she tried to separate our group and that was when I..."

"when you were still soft." L tried to put it gently to her. "I understand. I assume she didn't transfer to school?"

"No, she had always been a truant." Homura confirmed. L mused. "I can think of two scenarios. One, she came here to separate you all and cause infighting, or two, she could try to kill you all one by one."

"How much do you think she knows?"

L tried to think. She had been watching since Sayaka had contracted. Most obviously, she had been watching the entire time. "I think she knows everything- as in, who is a mahou shoujo and who is not." he told her. "I'm sure she will try to cause infighting amongst you all."

Homura nodded. "Don't worry. Worst comes to worst, the three of us will defeat her together. I know her fighting skills. Not even she can-"

"I was hoping for a different choice." L mused. Homura turned around. "What?"

"I was hoping I would be able to convince her to team up with the three of you. At the very least, until Walpurgisnacht."

"That's not possible."

"Surely you've seen it before? Kyouko actually _cares_ for Sayaka. Or at least, she will."

"What makes you think that?"

"...Elsa Maria." Homura stopped. That witch.

Just then, there was hurried mental message. _Akemi-san! Ryuzaki-sensei!_ It was Mami's voice.

_Yes?_ L asked.

_Miki-san went to fight a familiar alone, but I'm sensing a magical disturbance. I think she may be in trouble._

_ A disturbance? _Homura asked.

_I think it's another mahou shoujo!_

Homura and L gave each other a glance. _Kyouko._

_Tomoe-san, where are you right now?_ L asked. After mentally telling them the address, Homura transformed. Handing L her hand, they held hands and time stopped. "Let's go." she said, and they ran through the frozen space.

XXXXX

As they approached the area, Homura allowed time to flow freely again. They managed to find Mami, who was trying to break through a strange red net. L recognized. It was one of Kyouko's powers.

"I can't break through!" Mami grunted as she did her best to destroy the net.

"Homura," L muttered, "Hand me four C4 explosives." Wondering what he was planning, she wordlessly handed him the explosives. He placed them on each of the four corners of the wall, no one questioning why on earth L knew how to handle C4 explosives.

"Get back."

A moment later...

**Boom**

L then easily kicked down the wall. Despite the fact it had magical reinforcement, it appeared that it still followed the laws of physics. With that, the three rushed in.

"It's over!" they heard Kyouko yell. When L, who was apparently the fasted of the three, rounded the corner, he saw Kyouko, standing on the staff of her spear, with the chain twirling around her, ready to lunge at Sayaka, who was fallen on the ground. Madoka was there, trapped behind Kyouko's chains and forced to watch the fight. Kyubey was on her shoulder.

The chain lunged, and L ran in right in front of Sayaka, arms outstretched in the classic hero pose.

Seeing the sudden intrusion, Kyouko stopped the spear. Hopping down back to ground level, she glared at L. "Aren't you... the student teacher at their school?"

"Yes, and through that, I'm your teacher too." he said, returning to his hunchbacked position. "So please stop killing each other."

"Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?" Kyouko growled.

"Yes I do. I also know that the gem you have on your costume is called a "soul gem". Does that underline my point?"

Kyouko didn't have anything to say, and Mami and Homura arrived. Seeing how they naturally gathered around L, Kyouko gave another grin. "So I see that's how it is. I have no idea why you girls are even letting a normal human help you, but next time I won't hold back.". With that, she leapt on the walls and out of sight.

"Why are you two letting her go? We need to catch her or-"

"Chasing her now will do us no good." Homura cut off Sayaka with the answer. "Next time she comes, we'll fight her together."

"And speaking of next time, don't just fight on your own. Call us for help." Mami scolded Sayaka.

"Okay." She sighed in a defeated voice. Madoka was still in a nervous state, not surprising considering she almost saw her best friend killed right in front of her.

"I think it's best if we went someplace else. We need to discuss what to do with her." Homura said, with "her" meaning Kyouko.

"You girls go ahead." L said, surprising them. "I have official business to take care of." With that, he left.

XXXXX

L figured he'd find her here.

It was the gaming centre, the same place Homura had confronted her one time loop ago. As he predicted, she was at the Dance Dance Revolution (c) consoles, dancing to a strange song called "Connect". Apparently, she had already changed out of the school uniform and was already back in her normal outfit of a green sweater and blue jeans.

"What do you want?" She asked, not even turning to face him.

"I know you are a being known as a "mahou shoujo". Just tell me why you came to this town." L said.

"That's obvious. This town seems to attract a lot of witches. It's the perfect place to get grief seeds."

"You are already aware that there are _three_ mahou shoujo already active in this area, no?"

She continued dancing. "That's the strange thing. Kyubey -you know that creature, right?- he told me Mami was dead, so the area was open for picking. Then not only was she still alive, but a new girl contracted and the rumoured irregular is here too."

_Irregular?_ L wondered. _She must mean Homura._

"And I haven't asked my question yet." She stopped for a moment and turned to face him. "Who are you?"

She turned back to dance. "How do you know of this world? Most people that stumble into magic are usually too scared to even think about it again, or end up dead. But you don't seem like the type to end up that way."

"No, I am not." He agreed. "As for how I discovered magic... let's just say I did stumble across it." To him, that rainy day when he picked up what seemed to be a normal string of disappearance cases seemed so long ago.

"So why do you still get involved in it?" Kyouko asked.

"Let's just say that even in a world where only kids can fight, there are some things only an adult can do." L muttered. Kyouko gave a small laugh as the song neared the end. "Well, I'm Sakura Kyouko. You know that already. Nice to meet you, _sensei_." She said as the song ended and she turned.

L nodded. "My name is Hideki Ryuzaki. Nice to meet you." As he said so, he placed a package of limited edition extra sweet pocky sticks in her hand.

Upon taking the package, her eyes widened. L didn't know why. Could it have been possible that _pocky sticks_ triggered her memory?

"Have... we met before?" She asked, sounding confused.

"...no." technically, it wasn't a lie, and Kyouko could not discover more from L's empty gaze. Taking her silence as a sign conversation was over, L walked out of the gaming centre.

XXXXX

That evening

Just as L returned to his apartment, he heard a knock on the door. Opening it, he was mildly surprised to see Light.

"Ryuzaki, we need to talk." Light was dead serious.

A little while later, they were settled around in a meeting position. "Over the past few days, I was trying to make sense of the entire magic affair. As part of it, I came across something devastating. Take a look at this." He handed him a drawing; a sketch of some runes. L could read them clearly. "CHARLOTTE."

"Now," Light said, "A few days ago, I asked Sayaka if I could see her ring. Apparently, soul gems revert to a ring shape when not in use. Take a look at this." He showed him another hand drawn picture of runes, but this time they read "SAYAKA"

"And I also looked at Tomoe's ring." Light continued, passing him a sketch of runes reading "MAMI". "Take a look here." He pointed at the rune for "A" from Mami's ring. "It's exactly the same as this one." he pointed to the rune for "A" on Sayaka's ring. "...and exactly the same here." he pointed to the letter "A" on Charlotte's runes. "The letter "O" from Tomoe's ring and the witch runes are same as well." Light continued. "When Mami showed us how soul gems can be powered by grief seeds, I thought it was the transfer of a common type of magical energy between two different types of magic; witch magic and Mahou shoujo magic. However, these runes tell me something else. They are proof that witch magic and mahou shoujo magic are one and same. And..." Light paused. "Once the soul gems go dark, the girls turn into witches."

L nodded. "...very good, Yagami-kun."

"You knew all this, didn't you? That's why you went out of your way to try and make sure those girls shared grief seeds."

"You noticed?"

"Why didn't you tell me all this earlier?" Light insisted.

L sighed. "I suppose I owe you an apology. I did not expect this case to be so complicated."

Light shook his head. "Don't worry about it." he then remembered another point. "Oh yes. That "Sakura Kyouko"... the girl who just transferred into the class you teach."

"Yes?"

"I asked the secretary. Her memory's a blur when it came to processing her paperwork. Almost like a tampered memory. Is she...?"

"Yes, those memories were erased via magic." L told him. "She is a mahou shoujo as well. She's hoping to claim this area for the grief seeds. I'm trying to play counsellor with the four of them, but things aren't going so well." L admitted.

Light sighed. "This case is far deeper than anything either of us have ever seen... and it will never see the light of day in public. But I'll stick with you to the end. After all, I agreed to help you."

"Thank you, Yagami-kun." L nodded. Just then, Mami's voice resounded in his head. _Ryuzaki-sensei!_

_ Yes?_

_Sayaka went off to confront Kyouko! We don't know where! We need to stop her!_

L turned to Light. "There's a problem. I'll explain on the way."

"Let me guess," Light asked as the two ran out the door, "Sayaka went off to fight Kyouko?"

"How did you guess?"

"She's the headstrong type." Light grunted in reply as they ran.

XXXXX

L always wondered why it had to be a bridge. On one side, Kyouko, already transformed, stood grinning and ready to fight Sayaka. She, on the other hand, held up her soul gem and was just about to transform when Madoka got there.

"Sayaka-chan!"

Surprised, the blue haired girl faced her best friend. "Madoka! This doesn't involve you!"

"This isn't right!" the pink haired girl continued to insist.

"Humph." Kyouko pointed her spear at the duo. "I guess annoying people have annoying friends."

"Why you-!" Sayaka growled angrily, then her soul gem began to shine. Before she could transform, however, Madoka took it out of her hands. "Sayaka-chan, I'm sorry!" Running to the railing, she threw it down just as L, Homura and Mami arrived. Homura's eyes widened.

"M-Madoka!" Sayaka turned to her friend. "How could you!"

"Sayaka-chan, I'm sorry, I just..."

"That was my soul gem! I need to get it back!"

At this point, it became clear to Homura that something was not right here. Why was she not dead?

L came inbetween Sayaka and Madoka. "Don't worry. Your soul gem isn't anywhere." He looked down at the street. Sure enough, Light was there, the soul gem resting safely in a baseball glove.

The entire group of girls -except for Homura- were dumbstruck. As Light got up to where everyone was, L made his announcement. "I think it's best if we all went back to Homura-san's apartment. There's something important to discuss." He turned to Kyouko. "You should come too."

XXXXX

As the silent group of girls filed into Homura's apartment, the counter shifted.

"12 days until Walpurgisnacht."

XXXXX

End of Chapter 14

Author's note: Well, I'm pretty happy with this chapter... only vice is I made Kyouko transfer into the school... PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

Oh yes, I officially announce that this story most DEFINITELY WILL have a sequel. Title to be announced. The only thing I will tell you now that it will include not only characters from the anime, but the characters from "Puella Magi Oriko Magica" and "Puella Magi Kazumi Magica" As well.

(1) the naming "Homu-cave" was NOT my idea. It was from the wikia.


	15. Bliss

Author's Note: Hmm... onwards to bliss. Or whatever. Oh, just a note, the only story that will be taking a depressing turn is this one. But it will be a REALLY depressing turn, and we're one chapter away from it. Expect to be clawing your hair out next chapter. Cause you will not see it coming.

Edit: Oh Screw it. I'm gonna start it in this chapter.

I do not own Madoka, nor do I own Death Note.

Chapter 15: Bliss

"...I can't believe you."

To L, it was an unavoidable but still frustrating result. The girls, along with L and Light, were gathered at Homura's high tech apartment.

"I understand that this is a lot to take in, but please, Yagami-kun and I don't want to believe this either."

"But it just doesn't make sense, even if it was true." Mami tried to reason. "I mean, why would Kyubey make it so that our soul gems will become grief seeds if-"

"We are still investigating the matter." Light said. "To be honest, all of this is still a shock to me as well. As for why..." He turned to the deceptively cute creature in question, who was sitting there swishing it's tail.

Sayaka slowly turned to Kyubey. "Is... it true? Everything that Yagami-sensei and Ryuzaki-sensei said? That we... we will turn into witches if our grief seeds grow dark?"

"Technically, everything they are saying is correct." Kyubey said in his usual cute voice. "However, there is a slight wording error in his explanation. He said that 'if' your soul gems get dark. That is an incorrect term. Throughout my time, there have only been two ends for Mahou Shoujo: Those who die and those who become witches. So the technical term here is not "if" but "when" your soul gems become consumed by darkness."

"Why you..." Kyouko transformed and lifted the creature, looking like she was going to kill him. "Why the hell did you do that for! Why did you lie to us?"

"I didn't lie. You just never asked."

Kyouko looked like she was going to slash the little white creature to ribbons, but Homura cut her off. "Don't bother. Killing him will make no difference."

"It certainly will stop him from tricking anymore girls like us-"

"I told you, you don't understand what he is. He's more than his physical form."

Kyouko reluctantly let go of Kyubey, who gave one sigh and trotted away, and turned to Homura. "You... knew of all this, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"I tried that before. No one believed me."

Sayaka, Mami and Kyouko looked downcast as they contemplated the fact they were doomed to become witches. However, L interjected.

"That's the bad news. Now, I have good news." he said, to the surprise of the three depressed girls. He needed to say this before Mami decided death was salvation like she had done before. He turned on one of Homura's many screens. "Kyubey claims that becoming a witch is inevitable. _It is not_." he stressed. "Time is not a factor. There have been mahou shoujo who have become witches far faster than others. Therefore, it is possible to delay it as long as possible... in the best case scenario, you may even outlive regular humans." L mused. "Over the past few days, I've been doing some mathematics." he glanced at a mathematics equation that would make University graduates dizzy. "I've made a calculation regarding the number of girls here and the number of grief seeds it takes to keep you all 'sane'. According to my calculations... which, by the way, you really don't want to try and keep up with it- I estimate that if you all take one grief seed a week, that would make for a total of four witch kills a week. Now, for some strange reason, Mitakihara seems to attract witches. Therefore, we can assume we have an inexhaustible supply of witches." he said. "Now, if we put aside our differences and learn to play nice, we should all last at least ten more years. If this calculation is correct, and I am sure it is, and none of you do anything stupid like fight a witch on your own, then you should all last fifty more years."

The three girls were dumbstruck. L could tell how it felt. It probably felt just like being told they were going to die, then being told they would live. A very confusing situation. However, thankfully, the three girls understood.

"Let's give it a try." Kyouko said with a grin.

"Oh yes. Kyouko-san." L said to her.

"What?"

"This does not mean you're excused from school. I still expect to see that math worksheet handed in tomorrow. Same for you, Sayaka-san."

XXXXX

Two days later

A regular school day just ended, and L was sitting and a cafe. He was contemplating how the best part of his plan was now almost over. As he ate his mountain of sweets, he overheard some talk.

"So, what's this about?" Sayaka asked casually. L's ears perked. Looking around, he saw Sayaka sitting in the café with one of her classmates. Hitomi, to be exact. He nearly slapped himself in the face. He had forgotten this would happen.

"Sayaka-san," She said, a serious look on her face, "I will be frank with you. I am here to discuss a matter of love. I've been keeping a secret from you and Madoka-san." She paused before continuing.

"I'm in love with Kamijou Kyousuke. I have been for a long time."

L did his best to try and fit into the background. As he remembered, Sayaka's wish was still to have Kamijou's arm healed. The surgery had been a failure. Kyubey had interfered.

"Well… um… ahaha!" Sayaka chuckled nervously. "Who would have thought… man, Kyousuke sure got lucky, having you fall for him…"

Hitomi, however, stayed completely serious. "Sayaka-san, you are childhood friends with him, yes?"

"Um… well, yeah, I guess you could kind of say that…"

"I have decided to be honest with myself." Hitomi said. "I will confess to him tomorrow after school. Sayaka-san, you are my important friend. You have also known Kamijou-kun a lot longer than I have. That's why I feel it's important to tell you this. You have until tomorrow after school to confess to him. Please make sure you have no regrets."

Like last time, she left right after that, leaving Sayaka silent.

XXXXX

A few hours later, L was outside Sayaka's apartment, where the other three mahou shoujo had already assembled, along with Madoka, for a night of witch hunting. While Homura did not approve of Madoka being with them, L assured her he would only let her watch from outside the barrier.

"What's taking her so long?" Kyouko sighed, frustrated at having to wait.

"Patience is a virtue, Sakura-san." Mami reminded her new... friend was not exactly the right word yet.

"There comes a time when patience becomes indulgence." L and Homura rebuked together. Madoka stopped what could have turned into an argument by pointing to the apartment. "Look! Sayaka-chan is here!"

The girls, as well as L, turned and saw her coming, but they all immediately noticed something was on her mind.

"Miki-san?" Mami asked out of concern. "Is something wrong?"

Sayaka refused to respond.

"look, if something is on your mind, you should tell us." Kyouko insisted. However, she continued to say nothing.

"Sayaka-chan..." L could tell Madoka was also worried.

"I..." Sayaka finally spoke up. "I... I'm sorry. I started having regrets."

"Hah?" Kyouko asked. "Don't tell me all this thing about souls got to you, did it?"

"No, not that... it's just..." Sayaka paused. "Just for an instant... I considered using my powers to kill Hitomi."

Silence descended. Even the laid back Kyouko turned to her.

"I realized and I thought... maybe what Kyubey said was true... maybe we really have lost our souls... if we're capable of thinking like this..."

"Sayaka-chan..." Madoka murmured. Quickly, she ran up to her friend, who began crying.

"Hitomi is going to take Kyousuke away! But there's nothing I can do!" She yelled as she cried. "I'm already dead! I'm a zombie! I can't say I hugged him with this body! I can't claim to kiss him!" All the while, Madoka held on, accepting her friends tears and doing her best. It almost broke L's frozen heart.

Almost.

After a while, however, Kyouko strode up to Sayaka. Grabbing her by the collar, she yanked her away from Madoka forcefully.

"You idiot!" the redhead yelled. "What kind of stupid things were you just sprouting! You think that your soul is lost! How DARE you say that! Don't you dare forget that if you give up on yourself, you give up on us too! You think you're the only one who was tricked by that white bastard!" She threw Sayaka on the ground and forcefully snatched her ring, forming the soul gem. "You think you lost your soul? That you're a zombie now? Guess again. Your soul is right here!" She handed her soul gem back to her and reached out her hand. "So..." she said in a much gentler voice, with traces of her usual mischief, "Don't you dare give up on your own."

"Kyo-Kyouko..." Sayaka said before getting up. "I'm sorry. You're right. I won't give up." She regained a smile as she accepted Kyouko's hand. "It's weird. Really weird. The first time we met, we were trying to kill each other, and now it ended up like this."

"Funny how it is, huh?" Kyouko replied.

"So, Miki-san," Mami pitched in, "I see you've been having boy issues."

"Yeah..."

"It's the guy you made a contract for, right?" Kyouko sighed. "We'll help you."

"But-"

"Don't worry, Sayaka-chan." Madoka said with a smile. "We'll lend you our strength."

"So cheer up." Kyouko finished with a grin. "Let's just focus on beating up a witch tonight."

XXXXX

The Next Day.

_I know I agreed to help Miki-san with this but..._ L sighed as he sat in school, explaining the wonders of chemistry to the students, _This is too much. _

Apparently, after a night of witch hunting, the mahou shoujo (plus one civilian) had enough energy left to have what they called a "girl talk". Apparently, he wasn't invited.

Apparently, they spent their "girl talk" helping Sayaka prepare for today and made a plan.

Apparently, he was part of the said plan.

As the class was about to end, L got a mental note from Mami upstairs _Remember, Ryuzaki-sensei, the plan._

L sighed as he made his end of the day speech. "Alright everyone, good work today. Remember that the labs are due tomorrow. Oh yes. Kamijou-kun. I need to speak to you about scheduling your catch-up. You have been in the hospital for a long time."

Instantly, he was besieged by complaints from Sayaka, Kyouko and Madoka. _Ryuzaki-sensei! You're supposed to do something positive! Now you've put him in a bad mood!_

_ What, did you want me to give him detention or something?_ L rebuked. He then caught himself. He was acting up. He was regaining his emotions. He couldn't have that.

As the class left and left Kamijou behind, L briefly said to the kid: "Er, washroom. I'll be right back." As he walked out, he caught Sayaka, being encouraged by Madoka, and could not help but mutter a quick "Good luck.". With that, Sayaka held her head high and walked into the classroom.

XXXXX

"L." Homura approached him that evening. "There's something we need to discuss."

It was that evening. Apparently, Sayaka's confession had gone well. They were almost in the clear.

"What is it?"

"...do you really think that your plan will succeed? That we will be able to defeat Walpurgis?"

"Akemi-san, the last time you all tried, you were either two and a half mahou shoujo, two or just plain one. I think four will be a big impact. Oh yes. I have a gift for you." he handed her a slip of paper.

"What is this?" she asked, staring at it. A bunch of numbers were written.

"...the codes for every safe and weapons locker in the JSDF Okinawa base. I think you'll need more than yakuza weapons this time."

Homura gave him a glance, then turned. "I'll appreciate it." she said in her usual monotone voice.

What she didn't know was that it was practically a farewell gift.

It was the last time L would see her calm self for a very long time. Some would even call it an eternity.

XXXXX

It was a few days later. The Wednesday before Walpurgis Night. L had no idea why he had done so, but he had tried to delay this last, critical part of the plan as late as possible.

It was after school. Again. As the kids got up to leave, L made an announcement. "Kamijou Kyousuke, please stay behind. There's something I need to talk to you about."

After the other classmates have left, Kamijou came up to L's teacher desk. "What is it, Ryuzaki-sensei?"

L contemplated what he was about to do. He had no idea why. He was supposed to have eliminated emotions a long time ago.

So he took a deep breath. _Now. _He mentally called someone.

On his shoulder, a little white creature appeared. He had two round, pink eyes, a round white body and a swirling tail. He also had a red pattern on his back.

The little creature dropped a grief seed.

Instantly, Kamijou Kyousuke's world was thrown into chaos.

As L watched, he thought to himself.

_You were mistaken, Akemi Homura. This was never your plan. This was all my plan. _

XXXXX

"Four Days until Walpurgisnacht"

END OF CHAPTER

XXXXX

Author's Note: Ahh, I feel completely evil for doing this, and I feel much better. Also, I lied. I planned this since the beginning. I shall expressed my misery. Well, I want as many reviews as possible. Tell me what you think L is doing.


	16. As Time Diverges

Author's Note: I must admit, some responses I have heard from my friends seem pretty desperate to keep pretending there's a happy explanation for all of this. I;m sure some of you still think the same. Ahh, now to continue my descent into insanity. I shall do as you wish, Master Urobochi.

Ha... haha... hahaha... Hahahahahahahaha!

P.S. There may be references to Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Drama CD 3: Farewell Days. I suggest you listen to it, or at least read the wikia. It's a short reference. I'll explain at the end.

_XXXXX_

_Flashback_

_Outside Kamijou Kyousuke's operation room_

_ "Why hello there. Fancy meeting you here, Kyubey." L came out of the shadows. The creature stopped, and the two confronted each other._

_ "Ryuzaki-kun," the white creature replied, "What brings you here?"_

_ "I could ask the same of you, Kyubey." L replied. "I know things about you. Where you are from. Every little secret about soul gems. What your true goals are."_

_ Kyubey stared for a minute. "So you're trying to stop me? Do you realize how many people like yourselves have tried and-"_

_ "Stop you? Why should I do such a thing? Your plan is a brilliant one. Taking advantage of a lesser civilization in order to stop entropy. It is a logical and reasonable decision."_

_ "...now there's a response I have never seen before." Kyubey remarked. "Every other time, when people learn of the plan of us Incubators, their immediate response is to attempt to set up a pitiful resistance."_

_ "Incubator... interesting. I suppose it fits one who's role is to watch over the collection of energy."_

_ "So, if you are not going to stop us, then why are you here?"_

_ "It's simple." L scoffed. "I wish to help you."_

_ "Help us?" Kyubey tilted his head to the side. "How can a human like you help us?"_

_ "I can show you how to gain a massive amount of energy." L told the creature. "That of Kaname Madoka." _

_ Kyubey perked. "...do go on."_

_ "Your method of collecting energy is much too inefficient. Because the descent into despair is gradual, you only get a portion of the energy you may have gotten."_

_ "So what do you think you can do about this?"_

_ "I have a plan." _

_XXXXX_

Kyubey had to admit it. For a human, Ryuzaki, or as official records from the centre of harvest operations told him, _L Lawliet_, was a genius.

As the grief seed touched the ground, there was an instant explosion of magic and the three beings there -Kyubey, L and Kamijou Kyousuke- were instantly taken into the newly formed labyrinth.

It was too bad they would have to eliminate him.

However, not even Kyubey realized he was one of the manipulated, not the manipulator.

XXXXX

Final Chapter: As Time Diverges

Down the halls of Mitakihara Middle School, the four mahou shoujo (and Madoka) ran back towards the classroom.

"Are you sure!" Sayaka yelled towards Mami as they ran.

"Yes!" The older girl yelled back. "There's no mistaking it! There's a labyrinth in our classroom!"

"But... how!" Kyouko yelled as they ran. "How could we have not noticed it!"

"I don't know, but we need to hurry!" the gang stopped outside the classroom.

"Let's go." Mami declared. The girls transformed, and she opened the door.

The class seemed fine on first glance. However, upon closer notice, there seemed to be a black portal in the middle of their display board.

"There's no mistaking it. It's a witch. And a very powerful one too." Mami said. Suddenly, Sayaka gave a startled cry.

"Sayaka-chan!" Madoka gasped in surprise. "What's wrong!"

"Kyo-Kyo-..." She could only stutter as she stared with shock at two fallen crutches.

"Those... those are Kamijou-kun's!" Mami realized. "We have to go in! Now!"

Fast as they could, the four Puella Magi, as well as Madoka, jumped into the portal, hoping they would make it in time.

XXXXX

They almost made it.

The girls ran into the central chamber, a large area of black and white, with only a few exceptions. One of them was a large red throne seat with a red sun on the top. A girl seemed to be sitting in it. Another exception was the unconscious body of Kamijou Kyousuke, held up and about to be devoured.

"Kyosuke-kun!" Sayaka yelled. Immediately, she ran up, slicing off the arms of the witch that held her boyfriend. Coming down, she knelt and held Kyousuke.

"Kyousuke-kun! Kyousuke-kun!" Sayaka yelled desperately.

After a few moments, Kamijou Kyosuke opened his eyes. "Sa...yaka...?" he asked weakly.  
>"Kamijou-kun!" Sayaka cried in relief.<p>

"Sayaka..." Kamijou continued. "I... I think I was dreaming. I dreamt that I was being attacked by a monster... " Kamijou gave a weak smile. "But it wasn't a nightmare because... you came to save me. You were fighting... you came for me. I was so happy."

"Kamijou-kun...what... what are you..."

"Sayaka... I'm sorry. There were lots of things I wanted us to do together... to just simply have fun, to live a normal life..."

"We can!" she insisted. It was obvious that she was no longer calm. Even the girls on the side had to look away from the scene. They could see what she couldn't. "We have all the time in the world... I can beat that monster in no time, and then... and then..."

She stopped. She felt something running along her hand. To her horror, a massive pool of blood was dripping down her hands and forming a puddle beneath the two. Kyousuke struggled to raise one hand. Quickly, Sayaka grasped it desperately, as if she was the one struggling for life. "Kyousuke... kun?"

"...Sayaka..." Kamijou managed to say, "I love you."

And with that, he closed his eyes and went limp.

Time seemed to stop. At the very least, it must have felt that way to Sayaka. She stared at the dead body of her lover, then stared at her hands, which were stained in _his_ blood.

_His_ blood on _her _hands.

It only deepened the impact. Kamijou Kyousuke was dead. She had failed to protect him. Just as their future was supposed to be beginning.

She stared at her hands, still stained with _his_ blood. With each passing second, the hands became shakier and trembled harder until they shook all over the place.

Then, she reacted.

She screamed.

To L, who was watching everything, it was more chilling than the scream of any witch. Then again, L supposed, it wouldn't make a difference.

After all, she was about to become one.

As Sayaka screamed, her soul gem cracked. The crack grew and grew, growing like the web of a spider, until it encompassed the entire soul gem, which was now pitch black.

The soul gem burst, instantly throwing back the remaining girls.

To L, it was intriguing. At least, he forced himself to think it so. Another witch, and with it, another labyrinth, was forming inside one that already existed. L forced himself to be curious at the effects of such a phenomenon.

Last time, he had been a coward. Last time, he had refused to watch the corruption. Last time, he could not handle it. This time, he forced himself to stay.

The scream, now turning into a shriek, continued, growing more and more distorted with each passing second. When the explosion of energy subsided, the labyrinth was shaking. It was unstable.

L knew that, in the labyrinth of Elsa Maria, Octavia Von Sckendroff had arisen.

The newly formed witch turned towards the witch that had killed Kamijou. Even then, just based on size, L could tell that Elsa Maria had no chance.

"You were right." Kyubey, who as sitting on L's shoulder, told L. "The energy collected by trauma far surpassed anything we have seen before. It seems that a sudden traumatic event really is more effective than a gradual descent into despair."

Still shrieking, Octavia reached for Elsa Maria. The other witch attempted to fight back, but nothing managed to pierce the armour that formed the body. Holding the smaller witch in it's hands, Octavia crushed Elsa Maria, thus completing revenge.

"Sayaka... chan?" a quiet voice pierced through the horror.

The monster turned. In her path, calling out to her, was a small creature with pink hair.

"Sayaka-chan... it's me, Madoka. Please, can you hear us?"

Inside the shaking labyrinth, Octavia raised her sword, summoning the wheelbarrows and launched them at the little girl who dared disturb her.

Before Madoka was hit, a red chain-like fence rose, protecting Madoka.

"Don't stop!" Kyouko yelled as she, Mami and Homura leaped out to the front. "Keep calling out to her!"

As Madoka continued to try and call out to the now nonexistent Sayaka, the three other mahou shoujo did their best to fend off Octavia. However, L could see it. They too were about to lose it; just barely holding it in together.

After a while, it seemed that the girls finally slipped. Taking the chance, a barrage of wheels crashed into Kyouko, knocking her against the red barrier that she had set up, shattering it. Roaring, Octavia reached for Kyouko.

Unable to just stand there and watch, Madoka rushed in.

Having been interfered, Octavia grabbed Madoka instead, holding her up and choking her.

"Sayaka... chan..." Madoka pleaded, even as she was losing her grip on her life.

"Madoka!" Homura, out of desperation, fired a purple how at the arm, causing Octavia to lose her concentration. Taking the chance, Kyouko leaped up and sliced off the hand that was crushing Madoka.

"You said you believed!" Kyouko yelled at Octavia. "I thought we made a promise! I thought we promised not to give up on each other! That we would break through Kyubey's curse together!"

The force of the hit skid through the ground of the labyrinth, collapsing the floor and causing everyone to fall. As they did, the labyrinth reversed, flipping upside down.

Homura caught Madoka before they landed. However, others did not land so gracefully. There was a clang as Kyouko's spear hit the ground.

Alarmed, Homura turned. Both Kyouko and Mami seemed to be at their wit's end.

Mami-san... Kyouko..."

The two mentioned girls got up slowly. Kyouko turned to Homura. "Take Madoka and get out of here."

"What about you two?"

"We'll stay here and take care of Sayaka." Mami replied. It was then that L was surprised that the two girls could still hold it together.

"Then I'll-"

"Sorry Homura." Kyouko cut her off. "It may sound selfish of us, but you still have a job to finish.

Homura realized. Walpurgis.

"Go." Mami ushered the other girl out of the labyrinth with Madoka.

The two remaining Mahou shoujo then looked at Octavia.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Kyouko said to Mami. "When we used to hunt witches together... that seemed like an entire lifetime ago."

"Yes." Mami nodded. Then, on some unknown cue, they leaped towards opposite sides of Octavia, who was still shrieking.

"Don't worry, Sayaka." Kyouko assured her. "Well be with you."

"After all," Mami continued, "Being alone is painful."

And with that, the two girls prepared their last assault. Mami summoned her large rifle, while Kyouko, for the first time since the death of her family, used her ability to create phantoms of her self.

A light gathered in the labyrinth, and the two yells of the girls were heard right before the explosion.

_Tiro Finale!_

_ Rosso Phantasma! _

There was a tremendous burst of magical energy, then nothingness.

XXXXX

Homura slowly walked out, back into the classroom, still holding Madoka. Once again, she was the only one left.

XXXXX

It was for the best.

L convinced himself so as he walked up to the roof of a skyscraper. He could not just find comfort for a few puella magi. His pride as L would not allow him. He had to save them all.

Even if it meant exploiting Kaname Madoka, Akemi Homura and Kyubey.

Madoka's power grew infinitely. L was sure not even Homura herself noticed, but Madoka became stronger with each and every time loop. He would use that infinitely growing power. He would change the only variable through the time loop, Akemi Homura, to direct Madoka into changing the world. If all went right, she would become a goddess.

XXXXX

That evening

L was not at Homura's apartment. Then again, he had good reason not to be. Homura spent the better part of the evening trying to find the blue haired detective who had betrayed them.

Eventually, she found him. She wasn't the first one.

**THWACK!**

"Why..." Light gritted as he held L by the collar of his shirt, ready to hit him again, "Why did you do it!"

**THWACK!**

"Why did you do such a thing! You purposefully let the witch loose in the classroom... you collaborated with Kyubey!"

"I will not deny I did such a thing." L said, still calm despite the situation he was in. "But Yagami-kun, think about it. Surely you know what I'm planning."

"What are you-"

Then it hit him.

Kaname Madoka.

"I could not do it." L whispered so that only Light could hear. "I could not bring myself to create such a compromise. I could not let them live off of the sacrifice of others. That's why..."

"Why..." Light dropped L. "Why didn't you tell me..."

"You've done very well, Ryuzaki-kun." a voice interrupted.

The two turned to see Kyubey trotting up to them. "Or should I call you L Lawliet? You were right. We have discovered a much more efficient method of collecting energy. However, our only problem left is you. We cannot let you go like this, especially since you discovered everything. Therefore, we're going to alter time you never came."

"Then wouldn't you forget about my ingenious solution as well?" L asked in a monotone.

"It's a small price to pay to stop a security breach." Kyubey replied. "I have just received permission to perform time travel. Goodbye, L." With that, Kyubey disappeared.

It was only a few moments after that. L's world around him began to swirl and become a whirlwind. The last thought he made was to stare at Akemi Homura. She saw his lips move. She knew what he said without even hearing it, just before time reset.

_"I'm sorry."_

And with that, L's plan became a success.

XXXXX

?

Shinigami Realm

Kyubey trotted along the filthy barren ground that was the world of the shinigami. Surely, the Shinigami are the most successful witch ever, more powerful than Walpurgisnacht in ways one could only imagine. Everything about the witch, which was apparently referred to as "the Shinigami king" had evolved. Enough so that it lost it's original gender. The labyrinth had evolved. The familiars had evolved into beings in their own right.

It really is wonderful and grotesque, born from a girl's wish for one to die.

Apparently the evolution was so advanced that the witch's labyrinth really did create a whole new dimension. It just served the Incubators no purpose in destroying it.

But that was not the reason Kyubey was here. He was here for a lone Shinigami. He had spiky hair, black wings and was staring down at the human world, a black notebook in his hands.

"I suggest you wait five seconds to drop that." Kyubey suggested.

"Hn?" The shinigami turned to Kyubey. "Who are you?"

"That is none of your concern. Drop it in five seconds."

The Shinigami shrugged, and did as suggested, waiting five seconds before dropping the note.

"I guarantee you," Kyubey continued, "Now you will have a lot of fun."

"Hn." Ryuk the Shinigami replied as Kyubey trotted off again.

XXXXX

_Tick... tock... tick... tock..._

In a classroom in an unnamed high school, Light Yagami sat, bored. Everyday was no fun. The teacher was droning in English: "Another is the extinction of many species of life on the planet..." In front of him, two students were whispering, saying something about being ripped off at the movies. _Pathetic._

He looked out the window. Something caught the corner of his eye. A black, falling note.

As the teacher went on and on, he continued to watch the note, curiosity growing.

Within a week, the legend known as Kira was born.

XXXXX

"L," an elderly old man said to a lazily dressed male who was crouched in front of a laptop, "The Los Angeles BB killer has been arrested. Once again, the police are grateful to you."

"How many times have I said that it's not necessary?" he said as he ate a piece of cake. Looking at the laptop, he spoke again. "...Watari."

"Yes?"

"The next case... It is one I will be deciding for myself."

"You have a particular case in mind?" Watari asked, curious.

L looked at a stack of papers. On the top, one of them read "Young Female Disappearance Cases". He was about to reach for them when he received a notification. Looking at the email, he read about the Kira murders.

Within a few hours, the stack of papers titled "Young Female Disappearance Cases" had been forgotten and sent off to the burner.

XXXXX

On a highway in Japan, Tomoe Mami lay dying. The car she and her family were in had crashed, and there was nothing but fire all around. Struggling to open her eyes, she saw a single creature, sitting in what seemed to be a higher position than her.

"Do you want me to save you?" the creature asked, tilting it's head to the side. It had big pink eyes and a white cute body, swishing it's tail around.

"C-can you do that?" Mami barely managed to speak.

"Of course!" the creature replied cheerfully. "All you have to do is... contract with me, and become a Puella magi!"

XXXXX

END OF FINAL CHAPTER

THERE WILL BE AN EPILOGUE. IT WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING.

XXXXX

Author's Note:

All right, we are nearing the end of this fic. I shall warn you, there will be an epilogue. And then a sequel.

All in all, I think I made it too sudden.

Anyways, go and see if you can discover Kyouko and Mami's past together. Go look up the Drama CD. Maybe then you won't go "huh?" at "Rosso Phantasma".

Ahh, I feel so much better. I feel so evil.


	17. The End

Epilogue: The End

XXXXX

July, 2011

L climbed the stairs of the skyscraper.

For weeks, he had been chasing around an assassin. The person was no ordinary assassin. From his deductions, it appeared the assassin had time travelling abilities. Or at the very least, time manipulation.

He had also deduced the assassin would be here tonight.

As he reached the roof, he opened the door, stepping outside.

To his surprise, the assassin in question was a young girl. She was wearing strange black clothing and hand a weird shield like object on her arm.

"L Lawliet, I presume." the girl asked coldly.

"Yes, that is me." he replied, skillfully hiding his shock that she knew his real name.

"That makes things a lot simpler." The girl held out a purple glowing object. Before he realized, she was in front of him, pressing the object onto his forehead.

Instantly, a flood of information made its way into L's mind. Mahou shoujo. Witches. Soul gems. Grief seeds. Tomoe Mami. Kaname Madoka. Miki Sayaka. Sakura Kyouko.

Last but not least, Akemi Homura.

Letting all of the returning information settle in his mind again, he spoke. "I presume my plan went well?"

"I suppose." Homura replied. "I wanted to kill you the moment I saw you, but then Madoka wouldn't be happy."

"I see." L muttered. "And witches?"

Homura shook her head, pointing down. L peered. "What are those? Demons?"

"Yes."

"I suppose it would be impossible to eliminate negativity from existence." L muttered. "But in all other aspects, my plan worked."

"I never understood that." Homura turned to him. "What did you mean to-"

"In the following time loops," L whispered, "Have you ever attempted to work together with any of them? Sincerely?"

Homura shook her head.

"Do you remember why?"

"I... didn't want it to end up like the last time you were with me."

"Kaname-san is a very caring person. Your loneliness actually encouraged her to try and reach out to you. Therefore, I admit, I tried to make sure you would be as lonely as you can. Then, she would reach out further to you. It was my hope that she would be noble enough to make her wish. If I may sat so, I am very good at reading personalities."

"You're wrong." Homura rebutted.

"Excuse me?"

"I did attempt to work with someone. Sakura Kyouko."

"Ahh..." L mused. He had been a bit off, but thankfully it was not detrimental to the overall equation. He then noticed her hair ribbon. "Akemi-san, that hair ribbon..."

That ribbon belonged to Kaname Madoka.

"A farewell gift." she told him. "We are among the three people in the world that knows who Kaname Madoka is."

"Three?"

"...her brother." she replied.

L remained silent. Seeing that, she got up. "Well, I'll be going now."

L nodded. "Good luck."

"You too."

And with that, Homura leaped into the swarm.

XXXXX

A few days later, L was in another part of Japan. He was working on a case, travelling around nighttime cities with Watari driving, when a greyish tint caught his eye.

"Watari, stop the car."

Pulling up on the side, L got out and rushed to what he had seen. There was no mistaking it. It was a demon. Trying to be cautious, he was about to peer around the corner when he heard the sound of a slash, and then the roar of a demon.

Startled, he went around the corner. To his surprise, it was a mahou shoujo. It was his first time seeing one other than Homura, Sayaka, Mami and Kyouko. For one, she was British. It was a testament to how global the Incubator system was.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked L.

"I am fine. Thank you, Puella Magi."

The girl was startled. "You know us?"

"Yes. I personally know a few of your comrades elsewhere." L told her.

"Oh." she sighed. L stood there awkwardly. Watari must probably be waiting for him. Feeling a strange obligation to make conversation, he asked: "How long have you been a Puella Magi?"

"A year." she replied.

It was L's turn to be surprised. Puella Magi really could last that long?

"I really didn't have much of a choice." she admitted. "After all, I was about to die. My friend- I think she got controlled by a demon, and she was about to kill me. She was going to try to burn me to death, and then Kyubey, the little white creature just came and offered me the choice, and I...I..."

L suddenly remembered. He got a look at the girl. Her hair, which was blond and medium length, was tied into two tails. Her mahou shoujo outfit had a long flowing black cloak and her weapon seemed to be a scythe with a short blade; almost like an axe. If his intuition was right, he was meeting Fiona Arkwood.

"How is your friend?"

"She's fine. She's really sorry about it all, and we've decided to forget about it... she doesn't know I'm a Puella Magi though... and... and..."

L stayed silent.

"and... I'm scared." she muttered softly, tears falling down. "Kyubey told me that when I die, I will disappear in a pink light, but I'm scared! I don't want to disappear! I don't want to be alone!"

L thought carefully as he looked at the sobbing girl, then spoke.

"Please, listen. You will be fine. I promise."

"Really?" She asked between sobs.

"Yes." L then recited something. He did not know where he saw it, half of it was probably made up by him, but he had to say this anyways. And it worked. The words calmed her.

Later on, he would recall, they went like this:

"Don't Forget

Always, somewhere

Someone is Fighting for you

As long as you remember her,

You are not alone."

XXXXX

As Time Diverges, The Mitakihara Case

THE END

XXXXX

Before I begin the sequel, there are some things I would like to say.

First of all, I would like to thank Psyga315 and the NerfGuy for liking my story enough, as well as taking the time to create an actual tropes page on it. I really appreciate it.

Second of all, I would like to thank Abicion, and her witches, which without them the story would have to reuse the witches from the anime. I highly recommend all of you to check out her "encyclopedia".

Third, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed my story, both with an account and anonymously, for sticking with me so far, for being so encouraging, for suggesting ways to improve the Mitakihara case, for being patient with me and for not being an obnoxious spammer who has nothing better to do than to completely ignore the author's situation and spam his review page with insults and demands for the next chapter. Trust me. I've seen it happen. Not that often though. (That does not mean I do not appreciate criticism. In fact, I welcome it).

Last (but not least) of all, I would like to thank you, the reader (You obviously must be one if you have read this far.), for not giving up on me.

And in closing, I would like to quote Coccinea, another fanfic, for what I consider a prayer.

_-"We remember her, so we are not alone."_

(Coccinea (A Puella Magi Madoka Magica X Kamen Rider Dragon Knight Crossover)

...P.S. Fiona Arkwood is a blatant rip off of Fate Testarossa. Really. I imagine her friend who tried to burn her to death to be Nanoha, but you can object to that.


End file.
